The Phoenix Suns may not want to trade Devin Booker, but dealing him may be the only path out of the trouble they find themselves in.

“It would make plenty of sense for the Suns to trade Durant, keep Booker and try to retool around the younger wing going forward,” Bailey writes.

“But few teams, really in the history of the NBA, have had as little flexibility as Phoenix has right now. The quickest and most logical shortcut to more is probably a Booker trade.

“He is, without question, the most valuable player on the roster. And if the Suns made him available, multiple teams would pony up offers that included young talent and picks.”

One surprise team that could acquire Booker this offseason is the Portland Trail Blazers, who may be looking to make the jump from the lottery back to the postseason.

“The Portland Trail Blazers, of course, can put together a mighty competitive offer,” Bailey writes.

“Anfernee Simons, 25, is a young-ish scorer and outside shooter who’s averaged over 20 points per game over the last three seasons. Shaedon Sharpe is only 21, one of the league’s premier athletes and broke out with 18.5 points per game this season. And while Matisse Thybulle is mostly here for salary-matching purposes, his perimeter defense could make him a target for other teams as we work our way into 2025-26.

“The most important part of this deal, though, even with what we’ve seen from Simons and Sharpe, is almost certainly the picks. Two swaps and two firsts, especially in connection with the players above, is a big price tag.

“That doesn’t mean it’s too much for Portland to surrender. Even after giving up this package, the Blazers would have a wing/forward trio of Booker, Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara that would likely have this team competing for a playoff spot as early as next season.

“Depending on the development of Scoot Henderson and Donovan Clingan, they might even be ready for more than that within the next couple years.”

The Blazers have some intriguing players and pieces to offer the, but Phoenix needs to be blown away by an offer to move Booker, and Portland’s potential package of Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Shaedon Sharpe, a 2028 first-round pick swap, a 2029 first-round pick swap, a 2030 first-round pick and a 2031 first-round pick just doesn’t cut it.

This article first appeared on Phoenix Suns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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