Devin Booker Says He Has 'Unfinished Business' with Suns After Kevin Durant Trade

With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal's departures from the Phoenix Suns this offseason, it would have been reasonable for Devin Booker to pursue a trade to a team in a better position to compete.

But the star instead reaffirmed his commitment to the organization, inking a two-year, $145 million extension in July. Booker said Wednesday that he has "unfinished business" in Phoenix.

"Mat [Ishbia] came in and understood the importance of how I felt about the city, and how the city feels about me," Booker told reporters. "From being at the bottom and almost getting the job done, I have unfinished business here. I know how much it would mean to this city and this organization. That's my job as a leader, it's my responsibility of being a franchise player that I have to communicate to everybody the importance of basketball in this town and how serious we take it."

Booker, the 13th overall pick in 2015, is heading into his 11th year with the Suns, and he's seen nearly everything over the past decade. Phoenix went 23-59 in his rookie year and was a bottom-of-the-league team for his first five years.

Things changed in 2020, however, as the Suns went from missing the playoffs year in and year out to reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.

Now, after a failed experiment with Durant and Beal alongside Booker, the Suns are going back to the drawing board to try to figure out how they can become competitive again.

Booker is ready to do what it takes to turn things around.