The 2023-24 Phoenix Suns roster is loaded with talent, and the team hopes to use it to make a deep playoff run and ultimately win the NBA championship in June. Since joining the club in 2015, Devin Booker has been a major influence that has helped them overcome adversity and find success. The trio of Chris Paul, Cam Johnson, and Mikal Bridges led the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals and a league-best 67 wins in the regular season.
Booker is still the Suns’ leader despite the acquisition of superstars like Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Kevin Garnett, an NBA icon, thinks Booker’s leadership will hold even with the addition of these new talents.
Garnett confident in Devin Booker’s role in Suns
With Bradley Beal in the starting lineup, the Phoenix Suns could be formidable next season. With Frank Vogel at the helm, the team’s three star scorers are Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. The combined offensive prowess is both an asset and a possible threat. The issue arises of who the Suns turn to more when the game is on the line.
It’s time for the younger generation of stars to do the heavy lifting.@KevinGarnett5KG gives his case for why Devin Booker is the number one option in Phoenix now.
New episode of Ticket and The Truth drops tomorrow on our YouTube. pic.twitter.com/VMC9dMRYcd
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) August 13, 2023
This subject was discussed by former NBA teammates Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on a recent episode of the “Ticket and The Truth” podcast. Asked by Pierce if Booker should start over Durant, Garnett reacted with an emphatic “Abso-f***ing-lutely.” He went on to say that young players like Booker and Anthony Davis should step up and replace veterans like Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
“I don’t think the responsibility is on KD,” “I think this is Booker’s team. This is definitely Booker’s team. Hell yeah. This is Booker’s team and this is everybody in the cast coming to support him. That’s straight up.” Garnett said.
Garnett stressed that Durant and James need to adjust their positions since they have carried their teams for a long time. He advised to go off the ball more and trust in the vision of their younger colleagues. Garnett’s argument wasn’t that they should start taking part in spot-up shooting, but that they should make room for the rising stars to play bigger roles.
Garnett believes that Booker should be the Suns’ primary leader since the team rightfully belongs to him. The league’s dynamics are unquestionably changing as the next generation of stars emerges.
Is Bradley Beal the highest-paid NBA player?
During the 2022–23 season, Bradley Beal signed a massive max deal with the Washington Wizards. In his first season with the Wizards, he made $43.27 million. However, the future of this hefty contract is in doubt in light of his move to the Phoenix Suns.
Remarkably, Beal’s significant pay will remain the same as it was when he signed with the Wizards. The change is that the Phoenix Suns will be footing his pay from here on out. Beal is putting on the Phoenix uniform with an eye on the next three years’ worth of earnings: $150.611 million. If he decides to activate his player option for the 2026-27 season, he stands to earn an additional $57.12 million.
Beal’s future is out in the air because he will become a free agency in 2026 or 2027, depending on his choices in the near future. His salary will place him among the NBA’s greatest earners next season and beyond, fifth highest after Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic.
