The Phoenix Suns were one of the surprise storylines of last season, but the Golden State Warriors have every reason to root for their downfall amid apparent interest in franchise star Devin Booker.
According to Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard, the Warriors love Booker and would be first in line to make a play for the five-time All-Star were he to become available on the trade market at any point.
Warriors hoping for Suns downfall amid Devin Booker interest
On the most recent episode of the Warriors Plus Minus podcast, Kawakami particularly noted Steve Kerr’s fondness for Booker after the unselfish role he played for Team USA on their way to the Golden Medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I think the Warriors like him too much, if you ask me. But they love him. Steve loves him. Booker loved playing for Steve," Kawakami said..."If that plays out in a poor way, they've traded every draft pick. How do they get draft picks back? How do they restart? I know the Warriors would be first in line saying, 'we got three first round picks we can give you.'”
Booker would be a perfect backcourt partner for Stephen Curry, offering something similar to what Klay Thompson once did as a smooth shooting two-guard with size. Booker isn't the defender Thompson once was, but does have more on-ball creation which would be significant as Curry winds down the final years of his career as a 38-year-old.
Together they would make for arguably the best backcourt duo in the league, and might be dangerous enough as a scoring combo to uplift Golden State into being a legitimate threat in the Western Conference.
Warriors would need Suns collapse for chance of Devin Booker
As Kawakami and Thompson outlined, Booker appears very settled in Phoenix and is well on his way to being one of the very rare current players, perhaps headlined by Curry, who plays his entire career with one franchise.
After eliminating Golden State in the Play-In Tournament and reaching the playoffs, there would need to be a major collapse in Phoenix for Booker to consider his future being elsewhere. That’s not out of the realms of possibility, but even then what’s to say the Warriors will be in a position where Booker sees them as an attractive destination.
It's very unlikely that Booker leaves the Suns let alone lands with the Warriors in a blockbuster trade, but his situation is at least worth keeping an eye on as Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office look to revamp the roster in the next 12 months.
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