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The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly not very interested in trading the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which will almost certainly be Cooper Flagg. But if they do, the Phoenix Suns could be an interesting trade partner.
In a way, the Mavericks and Suns are alike; they both executed a trade that was widely panned at the time. For Phoenix, however, it seems as if its trade — for Bradley Beal — has definitively failed. The Mavericks, though, have some time to determine if that is the case for the Luka Doncic trade.
Still, their similar-but-different situations could make them ideal trade partners, particularly if the Suns are ready to turn the page on a promising but ultimately disappointing era of Phoenix basketball. And the only way to turn the page is by trading Devin Booker.
If the Suns were to trade Booker, ESPN's Andre Snellings suggested a trade between the parties. In this scenario, the Suns would send Booker, the 29th overall pick, a 2028 first-round draft pick, and a 2029 first-round pick swap. In exchange, the Mavericks would send Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, and the No. 1 overall pick to Phoenix.
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The Mavericks, in this case, would be giving up a lot to get Booker. Martin, Marshall, Washington, and Thompson were all key members of the Dallas rotation this past season and would leave the team's roster relatively bare heading into the offseason, especially with Kyrie Irving on the shelf for the foreseeable future after an ACL injury in March.
As for the Suns, they could realistically flip most, if not all, of the above players (except Flagg) for more picks and/or young talent. There is no shortage of teams that could use their various skill sets in hopes of competing for an NBA championship.
However, the one constant over the past decade for the Suns has been Booker, who has outlasted numerous coaches, dozens of teammates, and even former owner Robert Sarver. It would likely take a lot, maybe even more than Dallas could offer, to part ways with him after all these years.
If the Suns were to trade Booker, it would be the admission that it is time to rebuild. And that might not be a bad idea, especially if they can replace one of the best players in franchise history with one of the most anticipated draft prospects in recent history.
