The Phoenix Suns could shockingly part ways with franchise cornerstone Devin Booker in a trade with the Boston Celtics.
The Phoenix Suns, despite their slew of offseason moves, appear headed toward another Play-In Tournament appearance.
The re-signing of Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, and Mark Williams, along with the trade for star forward Miles Bridges, shows the Suns' eagerness to compete, but they simply don't have the firepower to take down teams such as the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
This is why a wild trade centered around franchise cornerstone Devin Booker was proposed. The full hypothetical trade details are as follows:
Suns receive: Paul George, 2027 unprotected 1st-round pick (via BOS), 2028 unprotected 1st-round pick (via LAC), 2031 unprotected 1st-round pick (via PHI), 2031 1st-round pick swap
Celtics receive: Devin Booker
This trade only makes sense from Phoenix's perspective if the front office is comfortable rebuilding, which all signs point against so far this offseason.
The return in this proposed deal is strong for the Suns, as the Clippers' 2028 first-round pick has a lot of value. Not to mention, the other three first-rounders involved.
However, it just does not seem realistic for the Suns to move on from Booker right now.
Booker remains a top guard in the NBA, as he averaged 26.1 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on 45.6% shooting in 64 games last season. Phoenix appears committed to building around him, especially given how much of its draft capital is owned by other teams.
From the Celtics' point of view, acquiring Booker to create a duo with Jayson Tatum is intriguing, but not at the expense of their future.
George was recently acquired by the Celtics in the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers. He will mesh much better with Tatum than most are giving him credit for because of his ugly $211 million contract and the fact he is well past his prime. However, his three-point shooting, defense, and knack for playmaking will complement Tatum to near perfection.
It's fun to speculate about blockbuster trades, but this one is far from realistic for both parties involved.
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