The Phoenix Suns plan to meet with guard Devin Booker in Los Angeles on Tuesday, where they will discuss the possibility of a contract extension.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news about the meeting on Sunday and suggested that Booker was a “strong candidate” for a max deal.
Sources: Suns owner Robert Sarver and GM Ryan McDonough are meeting with star guard Devin Booker and his agent Leon Rose to present the framework of his rookie extension contract offer on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Booker is a strong candidate for a max deal.
The Arizona Republic confirmed that the meeting will take place and notes that Booker is eligible for a 5-year, $158 million extension. Such a max deal would kick in after next season.
Booker, 21, was the No. 13 overall pick by the Suns in 2015. He averaged 24.9 points per game last season and has seen his play improve every year. He seems to like Phoenix and could have interest in a long-term extension with the team.
The Suns will be a team to watch in the future. Along with Booker they have Josh Jackson as well as Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges, their top players from this year’s draft. They are also adding Trevor Ariza this offseason.
The Phoenix Suns are hoping to sign Devin Booker to a contract extension as soon as possible, but they may have to smooth over some tension before the two sides sit down at the negotiating table.
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports that Booker is upset with the Suns for releasing fellow guard Tyler Ulis, who is apparently a very close friend of Booker’s.
Sources: As he becomes eligible for five-year maximum rookie extension, Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker is upset with the front office over release of best friend Tyler Ulis, who started 43 games last season.
The Suns announced on Saturday that they have released Ulis, whose contract of $1.5 million for next season would have become guaranteed on Sunday. The move was not a big surprise after the team drafted French point guard Elie Okobo at No. 31 overall, but it apparently angered Booker.
Phoenix drafted Ulis in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft, and they had high expectations for him heading into last season after his impressive rookie campaign. However, Ulis averaged just 7.8 points and 4.4 assists per game and failed to make a big leap.
Booker is part of an exciting young core for the Suns, who also entertained the idea of trading one of their former lottery picks on draft night. It would be a surprise if he doesn’t eventually sign a max extension, but a star player being angry with the front office is never a great thing.
The 22-year-old Towns, who averaged 21.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game this season, played his one-and-done year together with Booker at Kentucky in 2014-15. The team went 38-1 that season and made it to the Final Four.
Towns and Booker remain close, and it is possible that they were just goofing around when the photo was taken (the No. 1 jersey that Towns is wearing in it belongs to Booker). However, the tweet at least begs the question — the Suns do have a major need at the center position, but they also have the assets to swing a trade for a star like Towns (the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft as well as no fewer than six recent lottery picks on their roster besides Booker).
As for Towns himself, he is still on his rookie deal and can become a restricted free agent in 2019. A recent Wolves personnel move may have also upset him.
Sir Isaac Newton once stated, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” That was certainly true in the National Basketball Association on Tuesday with the naming of this year’s All-Star reserves.
Shortly after the news broke as to which players made the final cut for the East and the West, the outrage soon began among players who felt they were snubbed. Many took to Twitter to express their discontent, including LA Clippers guard Lou Williams, who is averaging 23.3 points a game this season:
Devin Booker may just be the most powerful 21-year-old in the world.
Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough told the media on Thursday that the third-year guard will have input in the team’s decisions going forward.
“With his emergence and importance to not only what we’re doing in the short term but hopefully in the next decade-plus, I think it’s important to make him a partner in the process,” said McDonough, per Scott Bordow of AZCentral.
“Kind of show him the blueprint and vision we have not only for the rest of this season, but for the summers of 2018, 2019, 2020, etc.,” McDonough added. “In terms of what he thinks are important characteristics for a head coach to have, what’s important to us as an organization and how we build over a number of years.”
Booker, who is averaging a team-high 24.6 points per game this season, looks like Phoenix’s undisputed franchise cornerstone, and it is no surprise that they are treating him as such, even at such a young age. He has already noted one major move that he would like for the team to make, and it sounds like he will factor heavily into their decision-making process from here on out.
Jay Triano is getting the endorsement that matters — the one from his team’s franchise player.
Before the Phoenix Suns played the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, Suns guard Devin Booker said that he would like for Triano to remain as head coach.
“Me and Triano have that relationship. He’s somebody I’m comfortable with and somebody I’ve been around for a long time,” said Booker, according to The Arizona Republic. “I love Triano. I don’t make those calls but he’s been doing a wonderful job since he’s been here and I would vouch for him. He’s been really good.”
Triano, who previously served as head coach of the Toronto Raptors for three seasons, has been coaching the team on an interim basis since Earl Watson was fired in October just three games into the 2017-18 season. The Suns have gone 11-18 (.379) since Triano took over.
He was spotted using crutches afterwards. Both pieces of information led to speculation that the injury could be fairly serious, but a two-to-three week timetable is not too bad.
Booker, 21, has been Phoenix’s leading scorer this season. He’s averaging 24.3 points per game for the 9-17 squad, which doesn’t play again until Saturday.
He had to be carried off the floor, which was a sign things were not good. The Suns later said Booker has a strained thigh muscle and will be evaluated further in Phoenix.
Injury Update: Devin Booker has a strained left adductor. He will be further evaluated when the team returns to Phoenix.
Booker was having an off game, as he had shot just 4-of-15 with 19 points in 39 minutes. He’s averaging 24.5 points per game this season and has been Phoenix’s top player.
In an NBA season that has already seen its fair share of unlikely beefs, here’s another one to add to the list: Devin Booker and flopping accusations.
Late in the fourth quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ loss to the Lakers on Monday, Booker went at the Lakers’ bench after falling to the deck on a missed jumper.
Booker addressed the incident after the game, saying that it was a Lakers assistant coach that he wasn’t pleased with, but he didn’t name any names.
#Suns' Devin Booker on #Lakers coach who said something to him late in loss: "If you're not my coach … don't say anything to me." pic.twitter.com/CEpwXsv7Fl
On Tuesday, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported that it was a flopping comment by Lakers assistant Brian Shaw that got Booker riled up.
A Lakers coach Brian Shaw to Devin Booker with under a minute left last night "Stop #$%&*#$ flopping!" Which in turn caused Booker to approach Lakers bench.
Devin Booker showed some serious toughness during the Phoenix Suns’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, though he’s probably going to have a nasty bruise to show for his troubles.
Booker took a pass in the second quarter and went hard to the basket. He was fouled by Brook Lopez after going airborne and landed hard on his back.
Devin Booker hit the floor hard after being fouled by Brook Lopez going for the slam pic.twitter.com/43jgjEAUuX
Booker’s teammates came around him as he was on the ground, and he started walking over to the team’s bench. But Booker stayed in and went 1-for-2 on free throws. A minute later he made a 3-pointer.
The 2015 first-round pick is probably the brightest spot on the emerging Suns team, so losing him in the first game of the season would have been awful. Luckily Booker was able to shake it off.
