Suns' Devin Booker Earns Strong Endorsement Amid Growing Criticism

Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker has become the center of conversations around the NBA for all the wrong reasons in recent months - particularly in the fallout from the franchise's unceremonious exit from the playoffs in April. 

The discourse around Booker's career arc has largely been rooted in the perceived regression that the 29-year old has been facing, as many have pointed out that he isn't the same player now that he was three years ago when setting the league on fire during the 2023 postseason. 

Booker's contract doesn't ease the criticism that he is facing, as his two-year extension that was signed last summer will include a figure of over $68 million during the 2029-30 season - which will also be his age-33 campaign. 

ESPN analyst Tim Legler is one of few that refuses to buy the narrative that the five-time All-Star owns one of the "worst" contracts across the NBA. 

While Legler acknowledged that Booker likely needs more support compared to other high-profile stars such as Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, he still pointed to the consistency over an 11-year period, ultimately asserting that he has built up the right to continue being considered at the top of his game.

The eternal argument (at least in the modern NBA landscape) is that superstar-level players should now prioritize sacrificing millions of dollars in order for their respective franchise to have the ability to either retain the supporting cast or to own the flexibility to make moves on the outside.

Fortunately for Booker, the Suns are trending in the right direction to be able to make a seismic move whether he had sacrificed money on his deal or not. It certainly appears as if the Suns are setting the stage to make a major move in the near future, which would play right into maximizing the most crucial years of Booker's career. 

Beyond his sizable salary is the perception that his play has taken a dip - as previously stated above. Booker's scoring efficiency and volume have both dipped in recent years, but a tweak in shot selection could result in a drastic change for the better, while the 11-year vet has grown considerably in other areas of the game, including as a playmaker. 

Whether Booker owns one of the worst contracts in basketball or not is open to personal interpretation, but many are taking those arguments to extremes that shouldn't even be in the conversation.

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Kevin Hicks is a contributing writer to SunsRoundtable. He can be reached on X @khicks_21.