The Suns have had a bad history with blockbuster trades during Devin Booker’s tenure, but they almost made the worst one of all way back in 2018. Former Suns coach Earl Watson revealed that the team almost traded Booker to the Bulls for Jimmy Butler that year. Fortunately for Suns fans, Watson himself put a stop to it and prevented the Suns from ruining their franchise.
Trading Booker for Butler would’ve been a disaster
In 2017, Booker hadn’t quite broken out into the full-fledged All-Star that we know him as today. But he was coming off a sophomore season averaging 22 points per game and showing rapid improvement. Since then, he’s only gotten better while being the Suns’ franchise centerpiece.
Watson was able to save the Suns from a crushing alternate reality. Perhaps it was Booker’s growth and leadership at a young age that convinced him to keep Booker at all costs. Maybe it was the flashes of potential like scoring 70 points a couple months prior – at the age of 20 no less.
Either way, it paid off for the Suns. Butler was eventually traded to the Timberwolves, where he led Minnesota to its first playoff appearance in 13 years. But the very next season, he destroyed the team’s chemistry and demanded another trade. It was a public debacle that derailed the Wolves’ season and ruined Butler’s trade value.
Minnesota was only able to recoup 3 role players and a second-round pick in exchange for their All-NBA performer after his antics. It was a disastrous result that could’ve held the franchise back until now if it hadn’t been for Anthony Edwards. The Wolves were lucky enough to win the 2020 Draft Lottery and select Edwards, who has lived up to all the hype.
If it was the Suns who made the mistake of trading for Butler instead, their franchise trajectory could look much worse. If Butler had similarly demanded a trade in 2018, the Suns would’ve been left with little to no promising young talent after trading Booker. It could’ve also been a disaster for Booker to end up in Chicago with an incompetent front office.
Instead, Booker’s career in Phoenix has been a successful one. He’s the franchise leader in points and has had many memorable moments, including a trip to the 2021 NBA Finals.
While the Suns haven’t been fortunate enough to win a championship or make multiple deep playoff runs in the last few years, Booker has still established himself as one of the league’s best guards. Surely there are no Suns fans who regret keeping him instead of trading for Jimmy Butler at the height of his off-court antics.