NBA
Devin Booker Signs Contract Extension With Suns
Saturday turned out to be a great day for the Phoenix Suns franchise. They won their summer league matchup against the Sacramento Kings, which they saw their prized rookie center DeAndre Ayton play great. Ayton had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Suns to a 71-63 win. To add the cherry on top, they were able to lock up their franchise player Devin Booker to a five-year, $158 million contract extension.
Booker’s extension now cements his status as the Suns franchise player. He’s also one of the NBA’s most exciting players to watch at just 21 years of age. He’s already an elite scorer and a superb shooter, but the next step in his growth as a player is to be a better playmaker. He averaged 24.9 points per game last season, but for them to be better, his 4.7 assists statistic from last season has to take a jump.
Taking care of Booker was the Suns number one priority this summer, as they look to get rid of the laughingstock label some have given them. They also understand they have to start building around him, which is why they took Ayton number one overall in this year’s NBA Draft. They’re hoping for them to be a deadly combination teams will have to deal with for years to come.
They’ve added former Houston Rockets small forward Trevor Ariza, who will bring toughness, leadership, and physical defense. He’s the perfect wing player that can play alongside Booker. They also traded for Villanova forward Mikal Bridges, who was drafted 10th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Suns are starting to bring the right pieces in. On paper, they have a competitive roster to work with. If Booker can take his game to another level, they won’t be pushovers anymore.
