Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia will not be parting ways with his franchise player in this lifetime.
Ishbia spoke this week at a corporate event in Michigan. The CEO and chairman of mortgage lender United Wholesale Mortgage, Ishbia hosted a Q&A and was asked at one point about the potential of trading star guard Devin Booker.
The question centered specifically on the possibility of sending Booker to the Detroit Pistons. That led to a very strong response from Ishbia.
“When I’m dead,” replied Ishbia. “Devin Booker will never be a Detroit Piston … I don’t care about the Pistons at all.”
You can see the full video at the link here.
Ishbia, who formally took over as Suns owner in early 2023, is a native of Michigan who attended college at Michigan State University (thereby sparking the question about the Pistons). But Ishbia’s stance on Booker makes plenty of sense.
Booker, 29, is a five-time NBA All-Star who is still in his physical prime, having averaged a stellar 26.1 points and 6.0 assists per game last season. He has also been with the Suns for his entire 11-year NBA career, remaining loyal to the franchise through everything from a 19-win season in 2018-19 to an NBA Finals berth in 2021 followed by a 64-win season in 2021-22.
The former lottery pick Booker cannot even test free agency until 2029 if he wanted to. Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Ishbia has had to address Booker trade speculation, but Ishbia is definitely hoping it will be the last.
