Fans of the Phoenix Suns aren't strangers to the narrative that franchise player Devin Booker should ask out - as a matter of fact, that has seemingly been the norm for the majority of his over decade-long career in the Valley.

A gravely disappointing big-three experiment involving Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal set Phoenix back several more seasons on paper following the franchise beginning the decade as a bona-fide contender, but the Suns did bounce back with a 45-win campaign in 2025-26 that reignited hope that issues would be worked out in short order.

Not everyone is buying the notion that the Suns are back on the right track, however, including Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley - who believes Booker is one of the next five stars that will ask for a trade following the colossal moves involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, and others this offseason.

"The Phoenix Suns have stiff-armed the idea of trading Devin Booker at every opportunity. The All-Star scoring guard has essentially done the same.

It's probably an endearing show of loyalty to those who cling to their nostalgic thoughts of the league's pre-player empowerment era. It's also shaping up to be an entirely unremarkable way for Booker to play out his prime years, since the Suns have neither the on-hand talent to compete for something of substance, nor the trade chips needed to require that help.

This is a single-star squad that might have to punch above its weight class just to remain in the play-in tournament hunt. The Suns were widely regarded as overachievers this past season while tying for 13th in winning percentage and slotting 15th overall in net efficiency. They needed two play-in games to get one win, then lost all four of their first-round games by an average of 17.3 points.

They have since spent smartly around the margins in free agency. They also burned an unprotected future first-round pick to acquire Miles Bridges, which...yikes. Phoenix was supposed to be past this level of problematic narrow-mindedness. The Bridges trade feels just like the Suns' previous pursuits of instant-gratification, only he doesn't have the accolades Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal possessed.

Is this really the way Booker wants his career to play out? If not, what could the Suns possibly be selling him in terms of a direction change? Unless folks are super bullish on Jalen Green—a scoring specialist with a career 42.2/33.9/79.6 shooting slash—Booker doesn't even have a co-star candidate on this roster."

The argument that the Suns are stuck in neutral is a valid assertion in this moment, but Phoenix GM Brian Gregory has proven himself capable of making bold moves at every turn since taking over the role - this absolutely has to matter when sifting through the layers of this debate. The other angle that goes unnoticed is that Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, Oso Ighodaro, Ryan Duann, Koa Peat, and Koby Brea are an intriguing core of youthful faces that can absolutely push Phoenix forward in the near future - even if just three of them take expected leaps.

The acquisition of Bridges has been a controversial one, but it has potential to age as the correct move, as both Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are clear candidates to see contract depreciation take shape over the next two seasons. The trade certainly seems to be one that is more of a stopgap than a true commitment to a franchise cornerstone.

The flexibility that Gregory has created - as well as the asset pool slowly rebuilding - has put the Suns in a position to make a seismic move over the next summer or two, which would put Booker in an opportunity to become the Sun that leads the organization to a first-ever NBA title.

While there is a compelling case to be made that Booker's exit is inevitable (much like Damian Lillard's from Portland), there are as many cases to be made that he will have everything he needs to make another run at a title where his professional career began in 2015.

Until then, the Suns will continue to scout any potential around-the-margin moves they can make to fill out a roster that already stands at 15 standard NBA contracts.

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