ESPN: Might not be right time for Suns to pay Devin Booker

As the Phoenix Suns limp to the finish line of a nightmare season, more pressing decisions await the franchise in the offseason.

Among them, managing the contract of Devin Booker.

Drafted No. 13 overall in 2015, Booker is in his third NBA season with one year remaining on his rookie contract. Though an extension between the Suns and Booker appears likely, ESPN’s Bobby Marks thinks the Suns should hold off on a deal.

Because the shooting guard was drafted outside of the top 10 (pick No. 13), Booker will have a $9.9 million cap hold in 2019, a projected $17 million less than where his new salary would start. With Chandler and Dudley on expiring contracts, Phoenix is poised to have $35-$40 million in cap space in 2019. Sign Booker to an extension, and that number gets sliced in half.

For much of this season, the Suns’ front office has expressed a desire to speed up ‘The Timeline’ moving forward. Convincing Booker to be patient with an extension while possessing an abundance of cap space would be a step in the right direction.

Easier said than done.

Eligible for a max contract, Booker’s starting salary would begin at $27 million with an extension that would pay him around $157 million over five years.

According to Marks, the key is for the Suns to explain to Booker how his actions impact the organization as a whole.

The Suns’ goal would be to treat the meeting as if they were recruiting a franchise-level free agent in the summer. Instead of pitching Booker on why he should stay in Phoenix, explain the value of how holding off on a new contract would be beneficial to the team. In the presentation, it is critical for Phoenix to show Booker and his representatives a salary-cap breakdown in 2019 and the free-agent targets.

Allowing Booker to be part of the process of building the Suns and not a bystander is critical in building trust between both sides.

Phoenix has already vocalized its intentions to incorporate Booker’s opinion into the upcoming coaching search as well as the NBA Draft.

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