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Are The Suns Trading Devin Booker To The Timberwolves?

Are The Suns Trading Devin Booker To The Timberwolves?

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is currently locked into a five-year, $158 million contract. Despite that, speculation is running rampant that he may be on the move.

This week, Ryen Russillo of The Ringer suggested that it was the NBA’s “worst kept secret” that Booker wanted out of Phoenix.

“They have to worry about the Booker thing,” he said. “The worst-kept secret in the league is Booker already wants out of there. And if it’s another bad season, I actually think that could get ugly.”

The New York Knicks were initially brought up as the most logical potential suitor, however, it appears the Minnesota Timberwolves may also be in the running.

“The Wolves have been looking into Booker’s potential availability for months but have been given no indication that he is available,” Shams Charania of The Athletic reported this week.

Essentially, the Suns want to see if the success they experienced within the NBA Bubble to close out the 2019-20 season was indicative of future performance. You will recall, the team went undefeated and nearly snuck into the playoffs.

Should it turn out that the end of last year was a fluke, and the Suns are still the same old Suns, then all parties involved may be more likely to do a deal.

“There is a belief that Phoenix wants to see if the magic they discovered in Orlando can carry over to the start of this season, and it appears that they won’t have to wait much longer to find out if the union approves a plan to begin the season on Dec. 22,” Charania added.

Booker has a close relationship with fellow Kentucky Wildcat and Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, so a partnership between the two could make sense. It has been widely acknowledged that Minnesota must surround their big man with some talent or risk losing him, so a move of this nature is to be expected.

Plus, seeing as the Wolves have possession of the top overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, they will never have more to trade for a star than they do right now.

Will the top pick be enough for Booker, though? That is the big question.

Booker is coming off an insane year with Phoenix. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per outing, all while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from beyond the arc and 91.9 percent from the free throw line.

The 24-year-old is essentially offense in a bottle whenever he takes the court, but what separates him from other players of that ilk is that he is tremendously efficient in getting his points. Moreover, other aspects of his game — namely defense and playmaking — have continued to improve over the years.

It will be interesting to see what sort of start the Suns get off to next season. If it is a strong one, then all the Booker speculation will likely die down for a while. Should the losses start to mount, though – then all of a sudden a potential trade will become a very likely possibility.

Related: Danny Green Reacts Bluntly To Lakers Trade Rumors

Charles Kruger

Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7's go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.

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