2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Devin Booker: 5 years, $158 million (Phoenix Suns)
Sources: Devin Booker has signed a 5-year, $158M maximum contract extension with the Phoenix Suns.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2018
Like Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker is a young offensive dynamo with serious defensive flaws who deserved the max money he’s getting from his team. Unlike Jokic, Booker has yet to lead a winning team, and that will undoubtedly be the next step for the 21-year-old phenom.
However, anyone doubting Booker’s importance to the Phoenix Suns, his status as a rising star in this league or how little talent he’s had around him simply hasn’t watched Phoenix play enough to have an informed opinion (which is understandable considering how hard the Suns have been to watch, but still).
Booker averaged a career-high 24.9 points, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game last year, shooting 38.3 percent from 3-point range while shouldering the offensive load for an inept Suns team. He improved in nearly every area of his game, is only 21, and perhaps most importantly, wants to be in Phoenix, a center for organizational turmoil over the last eight years.
Forget about the 70-point game. How about Booker being the third-youngest in NBA history to reach 4,000 points behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant? Or averaging the second-most points in an NBA season at age 21 or younger, trailing only Michael Jordan? This is a no-brainer for the Suns, and it ensures the centerpiece of The Timeline is locked in for five years.
Bourguet Grade: A
Hoops Habit Grade: TBD