Subscribe
Follow Us
Zach Lowe questioned the Phoenix Suns’ decision to give Devin Booker a two-year, $145 million extension, comparing the contract to newly crowned NBA champion Chet Holmgren’s five-year rookie max extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the latest episode of The Zach Lowe Show, Lowe pointed to the financial gap between the two deals as a potential issue for Phoenix moving forward.
“He will make ballpark $70 million in 2029–2030,” Lowe said. “Chet Holmgren in that same season will make ballpark $51 million. So there is an $18 to $21 million dollar difference between them based on the percentages of the cap. Now that raises a whole lot of thorny issues.”
Holmgren, 23, just completed his second season, averaging 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.9 blocks in 32 games while shooting 49% from the field and 37.9% from three. His five-year extension is worth up to $250 million and tied to 25% of the salary cap.
Zach Lowe questions Suns’ future flexibility after Devin Booker extension
Booker, 28, averaged 25.6 points, 7.1 assists (a career high), and 4.1 rebounds on 46.1% shooting in his 10th season. He has made two All-NBA teams and finished top five in MVP voting once. The extension will take him through age 33.
“He’s also made two All-NBA teams and finished in the top five of MVP one time,” Lowe said. “This deal will carry him through his prime… But at 35% of the cap, he’s going to be making almost $20 million more a year in those out years than Chet Holmgren will make.”
The Suns missed the playoffs this past season and traded Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach, and five second-round picks.
“I’m just not sure a guy who’s not a no-brainer top ten player in the NBA—and you pile on top of that the fact that in those years there’s going to be some amount of dead Bradley Beal money on the books,” Lowe said.
“That’s like $85 million to $90 million of your cap for those two guys. I don’t know what else you’re supposed to do if you’re Phoenix because that’s your franchise guy.”
Still, Lowe admitted the move made him uneasy.
“I just know that this deal, and I love Devin Booker, this deal made my stomach turn a little bit,” he said. “I think what the implication of that is that you just say, you know what, you’re under contract for two or three more years—we don’t need to do this now. Let’s just see how the next eight to 24 months go.”
