Devin Booker’s place in the league has taken on a different kind of weight. He’s now one of the longest-tenured active players, trailing only Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Joel Embiid, and that kind of staying power says plenty about where his head has been all along: Phoenix.
That loyalty has never been in question. The issue is what’s followed it.
Since the Suns reached the 2021 NBA Finals, the results have gone the wrong way, even after the team made some big swings in the roster. Booker’s name is still tied to that Finals run, but it ended in heartbreak after Phoenix went up 2-0 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Paul Pierce knows the feeling. From 1998 to 2013, he was the face of the Boston Celtics and rode out plenty of roster churn before finally getting rewarded with a championship in 2008. So when he looks at Booker’s situation, he sees a player who has given a franchise everything and is still waiting for the payoff.
"What I used to get frustrated over when I was the foundation for the Boston Celtics, they kept bringing in new pieces... They move pieces, and he gets frustrated. Mentally, you just gotta stick with it," Pierce said about Booker in an interview with AZ Central's Dana Scott.
Booker has stayed committed to the Suns, and the feeling around him is that he wants to spend his whole career there. Pierce is among those who believe that kind of loyalty should eventually be matched with a team good enough to win. Winning is the cleanest answer, and if Phoenix can put the right group around Booker again, it could catch the rest of the NBA off guard.
In Other News...
Pat Spencer Suddenly Has A Real Suns Opportunity
The Suns are sorting through one more camp wrinkle after inviting center Duop Reath to training camp, a move that could ripple through the bottom of the roster before opening night. Phoenix has already been juggling its depth chart, and another frontcourt body only adds to the pressure of making every spot count as the team pieces together the final roster.
Pat Spencer stands to be one of the players watching that process closely. With fewer bodies fighting for the same backcourt minutes, the two-way guard could find a clearer path to earn a larger role, and in a camp where every opportunity matters, even one added roster decision can change the conversation quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Suddenly Have A Training Camp Battle That Really Matters
Mark Williams shoulder surgery has turned the Suns last roster spot into a real camp storyline, with Phoenix now carrying three players in the mix as training camp opens on September 29. Duop Reath, Jamaree Bouyea and Haywood Highsmith all head into the fall with something to prove, and the early preseason schedule gives them little time to make their case before the roster starts to tighten.
The Suns must trim down to 15 players by October 19, which means every practice and exhibition run carries added weight for the end of the bench. First impressions in camp often decide these kinds of battles, and with the first preseason game set for October 5, Phoenix will get a quick look at who can separate himself before the front office has to make the call. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Still Have One Defensive Problem New Faces Must Fix
Phoenix spent last season building a defense that could hang with the better teams in the league, and the formula was clear enough: pressure the ball, force turnovers and keep opponents from getting comfortable from beyond the arc. The Suns ended the 2025-26 season with a top-10 defense, and the additions around the roster this summer suggest they want to keep that identity while adding more size and versatility to the mix. Miles Bridges should help there as a new starter, bringing a broader defensive profile to a group that already has several rotation pieces capable of contributing on that end.
Still, the bigger question for Phoenix is whether the front line can solve the interior issues that have shown up at different points, especially as the season wore on and turnover creation became less reliable. The Suns do have depth at center with Oso Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach, both of whom gave the team encouraging defensive minutes last season, and that gives the coaching staff options as it tries to shore up the middle. For a team trying to stay among the better defenses in the West, the next step is making sure the new faces do more than blend in - they have to clean up the one area that still leaves the Suns exposed. [Read more 🡒]