NBA Rumors: Suns Could Move On From Franchise Highest-Paid Player

The Phoenix Suns have a lot of promising players on the team right now although not all may be the one to lead the franchise to success. Several NBA teams realized that, a clear example of which is the Los Angeles Lakers. For the Suns, the same case could hold true for Devin Booker.

It should be noted that such a scenario would happen in the future. At 22, it is still too easy to give up on the 13th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft - meaning he could be sitting pretty now but may all change depending on several factors. This includes team chemistry and his ability to stay healthy.

Booker signed a five-year $158 million contract last month, making him the highest-paid player in franchise history. The pact takes effect starting this 2019-20 NBA season. Right now, it appears he is pretty much happy with the Suns and previously mentioned to AZ Central that he intends to stay in Phoenix for a long time.

And while that may sound comforting, it remains that any NBA player needs to prove he deserves each dime of that deal. Before signing that contract, some pundits questioned the deal and singled out the fact that the Suns have yet to make a serious run at the playoffs. Should the 22-year-old fail to rise to the occasion, some critics feel that the Suns could eventually consider trading away the 6-foot-6 scoring guard.

One of them is former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox who recently appeared on NBA TV and enumerated some players who could eventually be traded. Among the names mentioned were Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Bradley Beal, Andrew Wiggins and Booker, AZ Central mentioned in another report. If one goes through the murmurs this summer, the name of Booker was hardly even mentioned compared to the other names.

Do take note that Wilcox said it could be scenarios in the future. Hence, the coming years will be pivotal. Aside from scoring, Booker needs to show he has the same leadership that Steve Nash had during his stint from 2004-12. He is in good company with DeAndre Ayton and Tyler Johnson helping him out together with some reliables on the roster.

Looking at the Suns, equally interesting is how Booker and the rest will respond to first-year head coach Monty Williams. That all starts this 2019-20 NBA season where the rising young guard can prove to critics that he deserves that franchise player tag.