Amid the Phoenix Suns’ struggles this season, Devin Booker has resurfaced in trade rumors. On Friday, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report floated the idea of Phoenix sending Booker to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for CJ McCollum, Dorian Finney-Smith, Corey Kispert, rookie Kingston Flemings, and a protected 2028 first-round pick.
Suns color analyst Eddie Johnson wasn’t feeling this idea, however. The 17-year NBA veteran mocked Pincus’ proposed trade with a four-word retort.
“Put down the (tequila)!” Johnson tweeted on Friday.
— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) November 13, 2026
Though Booker continues to shoot efficiently in his 12th NBA campaign, his 25.5 points per game is his lowest scoring average in the past seven seasons. Still, the five-time NBA All-Star is a solid playmaker, putting up 5.0 assists per game while cutting down his turnovers to 2.5 a night.
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Booker is far and away the Suns’ best offensive weapon, but his individual numbers haven’t translated into team success early in the season. Holding the 11th spot in the Western Conference with their 5-6 record, the Suns got off to a 1-5 start before bouncing back with four wins over the past eight days.
On offense, the Suns have been middling, ranking 15th with an offensive rating of 113.8. Phoenix has fared even worse on the other end of the floor, as their bottom-5 defense has allowed opponents to shoot 46.5% from the field and 37.4% from deep.
Phoenix has plenty of areas to fix, but in Johnson’s eyes (a Suns forward in the late 80s), trading Booker isn’t a viable solution.
In late October, insider Chris Haynes reported “growing frustration” among Suns players over the lack of a true point guard on their roster.
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While Booker doesn’t exactly fit that mold, the Suns are apparently committed to him as their centerpiece. Appearing onSiriusXM NBA Radio this past Wednesday, insider Mike Scotto said that Booker remains the face of the franchise.
“From every indication I’ve gotten, the Phoenix Suns want to keep Devin Booker, and they want to continue to build around him…And, for Devin Booker, every indication I’ve gotten is he still wants to be a Sun for life.”
