Phx-Suns.Net

Ok, a lot of talk about Booker needs to go.. some talk about us needing to strip it down and rebuild around Booker. Do your best job of constructing a team you think would have Booker as the best player(at least arguably…it could be a 1a/1b situation kinda like Book/CP3). Don’t worry about whether we’d actually be able to acquire the player…this is just to see if in theory you could do it. I guess try to be somewhat reasonable…so don’t build a 1a/1b/1c/1d/1e team haha.

Personally I think I’d like to see Booker next to a true great big man…so that’s where I’d start. I’ll go with a few constructs:

1.
Derrick White
Devin Booker
Lu Dort
Lauri Markkanen
Anthony Davis

Debatable on who would be the best player on this team and I know a lot would say AD is better, but I think it would be more of a 1a/1b situation. AD isn’t a reliable shot creator and needs a star guard/wing.

I love White as the guard next to Book. He can run some offense, he can spot up, he’s an elite defender. Perfect fit imo.

Dort can defend the bigger wings and just be a menace. Shoots well enough. Lauri would be the 3rd star and gives Book a pick and pop option. Think he’d pair extremely well with AD.

Anyways, think this team would be a legit contender and Book would be the engine of this. If you think AD is too good, I guess flip him with Bam Adebayo.


2.
Derrick White
Devin Booker
Trey Murphy
Aaron Gordon
KAT

Still love Book with White, but now we make the big man a stretch big. The offense with Book/KAT should be elite and you’ve got White/Murphy/Gordon to keep the D solid. Murphy as a 3rd option is an elite shooter and is blossoming as a wing creator as well. Team would be legit.

3. Last one, let’s go with one that takes Booker more off ball and just packs in athletes.

Amen Thompson
Devin Booker
Trey Murphy
Scottie Barnes
Mark Williams

I’m not sure this would be as good, but it’d be fun.

My biggest thing…I would love to get a Derrick White and Trey Murphy types around Book with an elite big(roll or stretch). I don’t think it’ll happen, but that’s the mold I’d try to replicate.

Booker
Daniels
Jalen Williams
Mobley
Adebayo

Seems like it would be fun.

Why does Booker have to be the best player?

Jalen Brunson
Devin Booker
Franz Wagner
Jaren Jackson Jr
Walker Kessler

Superbone wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:08 pm

Why does Booker have to be the best player?

Because that’s the challenge. Build a team that can win a championship with Book as the best player.

Zach Lavine
Devin Booker
Mikal Bridges
Zion
Zubac

Split T wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2025 4:05 pm

Superbone wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:08 pm

Why does Booker have to be the best player?

Because that’s the challenge. Build a team that can win a championship with Book as the best player.

Ooooh…. I’m surprised you didn’t salary cap us

Building a team with Booker: Here's a possible group that was available to the Suns through the draft, i.e. players drafted below the ones the Suns eventually drafted.

Haliburton
Markkanen
Sabonis

Add in Ayton, Booker and Bridges.

If you want to displace Ayton, add in Jaren Jackson Jr.

So the backcourt would be Haliburton and Booker, with Bridges running the wing.
Sabonis, Jackson and Markkanen would rotate up front.

Jalen Suggs
Book
Mikal
JJJ
Chet

Suggs is your lead guard and good defensively, Mikal's defense has dropped off but his offense has picked up. JJJ is a 3-D big and Chet is your Gasol #2 type. Could also throw Josh Hart and Hartenstein on that team. Hart would replace Mikal and I might move Chet to the 4 and put him next to Hartenstein.

Kryptonic wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2025 4:15 pm

Split T wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2025 4:05 pm

Superbone wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2025 3:08 pm

Why does Booker have to be the best player?

Because that’s the challenge. Build a team that can win a championship with Book as the best player.

Ooooh…. I’m surprised you didn’t salary cap us

Let’s do the “build a $15 dollar team” game but Book is free.

Booker is only a borderline All-Star himself so you're going to have a helluva time building a championship team with him as the best player. He wasn't the best player on the team that made it to the Finals and they got a lot of breaks along the way.

I think you need to have a player who is at least in the discussion for 1st Team All-NBA every year to be a serious contender.

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2025 11:28 pm

Booker is only a borderline All-Star himself so you're going to have a helluva time building a championship team with him as the best player. He wasn't the best player on the team that made it to the Finals and they got a lot of breaks along the way.

I think you need to have a player who is at least in the discussion for 1st Team All-NBA every year to be a serious contender.

I disagree, he was the best player on that team that went to the finals. And yes I agree it’s difficult, that’s the point of the exercise

I mean, in this very thread lots of people have posted interesting, good lineups that would probably win a lot of games with Booker as their best player. So is the exercise actually "difficult"? It seems like you asked whether a thing was possible, and then a whole bunch of people showed that yes, it is. Case closed?

Mori Chu wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 09, 2025 9:29 am

I mean, in this very thread lots of people have posted interesting, good lineups that would probably win a lot of games with Booker as their best player. So is the exercise actually "difficult"? It seems like you asked whether a thing was possible, and then a whole bunch of people showed that yes, it is. Case closed?

I think you’re misinterpreting my intent. I wasn’t asking whether it was possible, I agree it’s possible…I mean I’m the one who gave the first 3 examples. I just thought it was an interesting discussion. I wanna know how people would build around Booker…and I was curious what the people who don’t think we can build around Booker would say.

But yes I agree the exercise itself isn’t difficult…but actually putting the team together would be difficult. That’s what I meant when I responded to Bobster.

Split T wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 09, 2025 9:51 am

Mori Chu wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 09, 2025 9:29 am

I mean, in this very thread lots of people have posted interesting, good lineups that would probably win a lot of games with Booker as their best player. So is the exercise actually "difficult"? It seems like you asked whether a thing was possible, and then a whole bunch of people showed that yes, it is. Case closed?

I think you’re misinterpreting my intent. I wasn’t asking whether it was possible, I agree it’s possible…I mean I’m the one who gave the first 3 examples. I just thought it was an interesting discussion. I wanna know how people would build around Booker…and I was curious what the people who don’t think we can build around Booker would say.

But yes I agree the exercise itself isn’t difficult…but actually putting the team together would be difficult. That’s what I meant when I responded to Bobster.

Since putting together such a team would be difficult, and with our roster/cap situation probably impossible, that is exactly why we need to trade him.

That’s fair…I think we should try over the next few years. Hard to trade him when he doesn’t want to leave.

JeremyG wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 09, 2025 10:25 am

Since putting together such a team would be difficult, and with our roster/cap situation probably impossible, that is exactly why we need to trade him.

We already built one championship contending team around Booker. And we arguably almost built a second, making a star-studded team that many expected to contend, except that we made bad trades (gave up too many players/picks for KD; didn't get enough return when trading Ayton; should not have ever acquired Beal). If those moves had been better, stocking the team with a better talent mix, we might be on another champ contending title run with another team built around Booker. How hard exactly can it be to build around this guy when we've already shown it can be done twice?

Even our currently dire situation can be pretty fully repaired with one big move (KD for youngs and picks) and put us on the path to build another contender. 2 years for Beal to come off the books, a big FA signing, start making a run around 2027-28.

Mori Chu wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 09, 2025 11:35 am

JeremyG wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 09, 2025 10:25 am

Since putting together such a team would be difficult, and with our roster/cap situation probably impossible, that is exactly why we need to trade him.

We already built one championship contending team around Booker. And we arguably almost built a second, making a star-studded team that many expected to contend, except that we made bad trades (gave up too many players/picks for KD; didn't get enough return when trading Ayton; should not have ever acquired Beal). If those moves had been better, stocking the team with a better talent mix, we might be on another champ contending title run with another team built around Booker. How hard exactly can it be to build around this guy when we've already shown it can be done twice?

Even our currently dire situation can be pretty fully repaired with one big move (KD for youngs and picks) and put us on the path to build another contender. 2 years for Beal to come off the books, a big FA signing, start making a run around 2027-28.

This is about Booker being the best player on the team and building around him. He wasn't the best player on the 2020-21 team. Paul was (Paul finished 5th in the MVP vote, Booker didn't receive any votes) and by the time Booker passed Paul they weren't a contender anymore. And the Durant/Booker/Beal team isn't a contender and Booker's not the best player on the team. So no, we haven't seen Booker as the best player on a championship contender yet, and we probably won't.

But that's what I don't like about the exercise. Book could be part of a championship team without being the "best" player (which is subjective already).

Superbone wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 09, 2025 11:31 pm

But that's what I don't like about the exercise. Book could be part of a championship team without being the "best" player (which is subjective already).

This is true. But what's the last NBA champion without a superstar? Detroit in 2004? Before that? Seattle in 1979?