Devin Booker’s Suns contract detail leaves Brian Windhorst stunned

The Phoenix Suns are not in a complete rebuild, but they began a large renovation, so to speak, this summer with Devin Booker at the center.

Booker, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2015, has been an integral piece to the team’s rise from bottom dweller to the NBA Finals. But following their 2021 run, it has been a series of miscalculated moves and, as a result, underwhelming seasons.

For that reason, there was some belief that Booker would make it known to the Suns that he wanted to be traded to a team with more realistic championship hopes in the near future. However, Booker, despite having several more years left on his existing deal, instead signed a contract extension with Phoenix.

The contract, while a great deal for Booker and assurance to the Suns that he cannot leave anytime soon, caught the attention of ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst — one part of it, anyway.

Can I just say something about Devin Booker’s contract?” Windorst said on the ‘Hoop Collective’ podcast. “He got a player option in that deal. I just figured if you’re giving him a two-year extension, then wouldn’t you just give him…”

“No,” Tim Bontemps interjected. “The owner came out and said we have to give Devin Booker all the money. It’s a pretty easy negotiation if you’re Devin Booker and his representatives at CAA. ‘Just give us all the stuff and we’ll sit at the table and sign.'”

Windhorst continued to marvel at the presence of a player option, which is for the 2029-30 season and worth an estimated $69.2 million.

“I want you to think about what Devin Booker got here. He essentially agreed to a one-year extension. He agreed to giving the Suns one more year because he got a player option in the deal, which I would not have thought was a guarantee, and he promised the Suns one additional season and guaranteed himself $140-something million. My God.”