After an offseason of major roster shakeups and youthful additions, Devin Booker is the most experienced player on the Phoenix Suns for the first time in his career.
A disappointing 2024-25 season, when Phoenix went 36-46 and finished as the 11 seed, had the Suns seemingly accepting defeat and hitting the “reset” button. Phoenix traded superstar Kevin Durant to Houston for a handful of young assets and shifted toward a major roster retool, surrounding Booker with a plethora of rookies and young players.
Though Booker is just 28, Phoenix’s wave of offseason moves has left him as the most experienced player on the roster as he enters his 10th NBA season. During the Suns’ media day Wednesday at PHX Arena, Booker acknowledged this new dynamic, embracing his role as a leader for the revamped, young roster.
“The leadership aspect is going to be more important than ever this year,” Booker said. “Realizing our roster, the age of our roster and the experience that I’ve had and what I’ve seen. … I’m going to use my voice always … especially with this team now, for the growth of any young player.”
Though Booker remains the franchise cornerstone, Suns owner Mat Ishbia believes this is “day one” of a new chapter for Phoenix, embracing the new young core of the team and understanding it will take time to rebuild into a championship contender.
“We have a different type of roster this year,” Ishbia said. “We have an ascending roster, we have young players that are not yet to the level that they’re going to be. … This is the beginning of a process.”
Despite leaning into the youth of Phoenix’s roster, Ishbia still believes that Booker holds the keys to the franchise.
“Devin Booker is the franchise player,” Ishbia said. “It’s his team. It’s very clear. There’s no question about it.”
Among the package of young assets the Suns received from trading Durant to Houston were Jalen Green, a 23-year-old shooting guard who spent his first four seasons with the Rockets, and the draft rights to 19-year-old center Khaman Maluach.
Maluach, a rookie from Duke, received high praise from several members of the organization, with new coach Jordan Ott expressing his excitement over Maluach’s upcoming role with the Suns.
“We are extremely excited about (Maluach) as a player,” Ott said. “He has an incredible way about him. … He’s going to have incredible plays that only he can make.”
Maluach, who was drafted with the 10th-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has only played basketball for five years, and understands that he has a way to go before he unlocks his full potential.
When asked which skill he wishes to develop heading into his rookie season, Maluach said, “Knowledge for the game and understanding the game of basketball. … I learn a new thing about basketball every day, and me just continuing to do that — learn every day … that will help me in different situations.”
In addition to Maluach, the Suns brought in several other rookies in Rasheer Fleming, Tyrese Samuel, Koby Brea and CJ Huntley to pair alongside second-year standouts Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro.
The overall inexperienced nature of this Suns team has several media outlets projecting a low ceiling, with Bleacher Report ranking them No. 24 out of 30 in its preseason power rankings. Despite the outside noise, Booker feels unfazed, and believes he has what it takes to lead his team to success.
“We know the expectations aren’t high,” Booker said. “They’re going to say we’re a young team, and that’s the perfect seat to be in. … We’ll continue to grow. I understand how much my voice, amongst the younger team that we have now, matters. It’s my job to handle that.”