Devin BookerBarry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
The trade: Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, Zach Collins, Blake Wesley, the No. 4 pick, the No. 8 pick, a 2025 first-round pick (via ATL) and a 2027 first-round pick (via ATL) to the Phoenix Suns for Devin Booker
Not to dump this otherwise fun idea into an ice bath from the start, but let’s get this disclaimer out of the way: There is almost no universe in which this deal goes down this summer. Booker isn’t looking for a trade, and the Suns aren’t planning to split up their stars. So, shift this hypothetical blockbuster even an inch away from the trade machine, and it probably runs out of oxygen.
It still feels worth discussing, though, because Phoenix looks stuck, and San Antonio has the kind of asset collection that could eventually help a franchise un-stick itself.
The names and picks heading to the Suns here almost don’t matter, because the Spurs have so much more to offer. If Booker was truly on the table, they might only make Victor Wembanyama off-limits. (Asking for Devin Vassell could torpedo the talks, though, or at least greatly reduce the amount of assets included with him.)
Value-wise, this feels relatively close to what Booker is worth—and especially what he’d be worth to the Spurs. They need a primary creator to pair with Wembanyama, and Booker is one of the best in the business. He just authored his fourth career campaign with at least 25 points, five assists and two three-pointers per game. The list of players ever to match or exceed that feat is only eight names long.
A Booker-Wembanyama pairing would be a vicious NBA Jam-style twosome, not to mention the foundation of a full-fledged contender for years to come. Again, the Spurs probably have no shot at Booker this summer, but it’d be worth a few phone calls to find out for sure before moving on to other primary playmaker pursuits.
