Phoenix Suns superstar Devin Booker has made his wishes to remain in The Valley clear. The club has echoed that same sentiment.
However, teams are going to test that bond between the two sides.
The Suns' debacle with Kevin Durant -- coming after an underwhelming but newsworthy trade deadline -- could lead to a divorce between the organization and future first-ballot Hall of Fame forward.
Where can Phoenix go from here? They've got a nasty contract situation with Bradley Beal, who has $110 million remaining on his initial $250 million deal, along with a no-trade clause.
If that avenue is a rebuild, there is one trade partner, in particular, who could make sense for the Suns.
The Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world in February, dealing Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.
They also landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and Cooper Flagg is the clear top selection, regardless of who would have landed the top pick.
If the Mavericks -- meaning Nico Harris, in particular -- wants to match his older timeline with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, he could, hypothetically, trade the top pick. If the Suns are eager to launch a rebuild, there might not be a better trade to see a departure of Booker.
Fadeaway World's Eddie Bitar pitched the idea of Phoenix dealing Booker to Dallas in exchange for a lofty return. In the deal, the Suns land the No. 1 pick, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, moving on from Booker and Ryan Dunn, who head to the Mavericks.
While the Suns could -- and should -- be hesitant to move on from their franchise superstar, who has spent every season of his career in The Valley, launching a rebuild with Flagg at the helm would be a major advantage.
In this hypothetical scenario, returning youth in a package for dealing Durant to a new team -- and offloading the contract of Beal -- would be a strip-down scenario for Phoenix, which would get an entirely fresh start moving forward.
While it's a long shot for the Mavericks to consider dealing the No. 1 overall pick, landing a superstar in his prime isn't the worst return. For the Suns, it's hard to depart from a franchise talent who has shown loyalty, though taking the opportunity to rebuild wouldn't be all that frowned upon in this scenario.
