The Golden State Warriors are still looking for the kind of perimeter jolt that used to come from Klay Thompson, and the name at the top of their wish list is a big one: Devin Booker.
According to Tim Kawakami, the Warriors are fixated on the idea of landing the 29-year-old shooting guard if Phoenix ever entertains the possibility of a deal. Booker is not available right now, but Golden State would be ready to pounce, and Kawakami said the team could be prepared to put three first-round picks on the table.
“I think the Warriors like him too much, if you ask me. But they love him.
Steve loves him,” said Tim Kawakami on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast. “Booker loved playing for Steve.
If that plays out in a poor way, they’ve traded every draft pick. How do they get draft picks back?
How do they restart? I know the Warriors would be first in line saying, ‘we got three first round picks we can give you.’”
Booker checks a lot of boxes for Golden State. He played with Steve Kerr in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Kerr called him the “unsung MVP” for Team USA. He’s also built a reputation around the league for maturity, humility, and steady leadership, while his production speaks for itself: career averages of 24.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 46.3% shooting from the field.
That kind of player would change the conversation in Golden State, especially after a summer that didn’t bring the roster upgrade the team was hoping for. The Warriors tried to make moves, but nothing major came together, leaving them to head into this season with an aging veteran core and Jimmy Butler, a max player who is coming off a major injury.
That reality makes the Booker dream even more appealing. If the Warriors could somehow get him, it would give them a new direction and potentially reopen their championship window as Steph Curry’s career enters its final stretch.
Of course, prying Booker away from Phoenix would be no small task. He has spent 11 years with the Suns, and owner Mat Ishbia has said he has no intention of trading him. Still, the NBA has a way of changing fast, and Golden State is clearly watching closely.
If the Suns ever show any cracks, the Warriors are expected to be ready with an offer. For now, they can only wait and hope the situation shifts in their favor.
In Other News...
Ryan Dunn Just Got A Suns Opportunity He Did Not Expect
Mark Williams injury has quietly opened a door the Suns did not seem prepared to revisit, and Ryan Dunn suddenly looks like one of the players who could benefit most. Dunn had been nudged out of the rotation by the teams offseason additions, but his defensive versatility still gives Phoenix a useful option as it sorts through the ripple effect of Williams being unavailable.
The coaching staff now has room to get creative with lineups, and Dunn could be part of that answer in ways that were not on the table just a short time ago. Whether that means a larger role in the frontcourt or a different kind of defensive look, his path back into the mix is suddenly much clearer, even if the exact shape of that opportunity is still being worked out. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Suddenly Face A Risky Khaman Maluach Decision
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Maluach has the size and long-term appeal to matter down the line, but the current roster picture makes it harder to ask him to carry too much too soon. The Suns have leaned on veterans to steady the group, and the next move in the frontcourt will say plenty about how aggressive they want to be with Maluachs role while they try to bridge the gap left by Williams. [Read more 🡒]
Suns May Have One Starting Fix That Creates A New Problem
Collin Gillespie has become an intriguing part of the Suns lineup discussion because the fit questions around Miles Bridges keep pointing back to the same issue. In Charlotte, Bridges was at his best when he had a skilled passer like LaMelo Ball setting the table, and Phoenix does not really have that kind of true point guard in its current starting group. Devin Booker and Jalen Green are both scorers first, which has left the Suns weighing whether a different kind of lead guard would make the whole group work better.
Starting Gillespie could help solve one problem while creating another. It would likely push Booker back to shooting guard and give Bridges a more natural playmaker next to him, but it also raises the uncomfortable question of who gets squeezed out of the first unit. Green or Dillon Brooks would be the most obvious candidates to head to the bench, and how that group would react is part of what makes the decision more complicated than it looks on paper. [Read more 🡒]
