The Phoenix Suns have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA this season. Despite having the league’s highest payroll, they sit 11th in the Western Conference, one game behind the Sacramento Kings for the final play-in spot.
To make matters worse, superstar forward Kevin Durant’s name has been swirling in trade rumors since the deadline. Phoenix may be spiraling, but veteran guard Devin Booker reassured fans he’s in it for the long haul.
Devin Booker’s Loyalty to the Suns Is Unwavering
The Suns drafted Booker No. 13 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he has spent his entire career in Phoenix. Unlike many other stars in the league, the Kentucky product plans to stay with his original team until retirement.
“It’s not always greener on the other side,” Booker said in a postgame interview. “People always want to leave their situation and end up in a worse situation and then they go missing. You’ll never have the love like you have by the team that drafted you.”
Devin Booker vows to play his entire career with the Suns, per @loganmmurdock (https://t.co/MkGd8ecmZa):
“It’s not always greener on the other side. People always want to leave their situation and end up in a worse situation and then they go missing. You’ll never have the love… pic.twitter.com/1H6qBo6I9d
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) April 1, 2025
Booker has been one of the few steady pieces in what has been an up-and-down decade for the Suns. They had an 11-year playoff drought before unexpectedly reaching the NBA Finals in 2021. Even after winning the first two games of the series, the Milwaukee Bucks won four in a row to complete a historic comeback.
Since then, Phoenix was bounced in the Western Conference semifinals twice and was recently swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of last year’s playoffs. This season, the Suns are on pace to miss the postseason.
Booker is well aware of his team’s underwhelming performance. Phoenix went all in when it traded for Durant and Bradley Beal, two of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. However, the trio simply has not worked out.
“It’s upsetting,” Booker said. “Ultimately, when you’re playing with this type of talent, you expect a championship. And our first year linking up together was our best run at it, winning two games [against] Denver. And ever since then, it’s kind of been downhill.”
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Booker doubled down on his desire to play with Durant despite the plentiful trade rumors surrounding him.
“Hell yeah, I want to play alongside him,” Booker stated. “The team’s been in a tough situation. So, that’s the NBA today. I think [Kevin] understands the business too, that when things aren’t going the right way, people are going to explore options. I don’t know how serious it actually was, but we moved past it. You see his morale, you see how he feels about the city.”
Signed through his age-31 season, Booker and the Suns still have time to figure it out if they hold onto their current core. He has played for seven head coaches and endured many hardships in Phoenix. But through it all, Booker’s heart lies in The Valley.