The Phoenix Suns missed out on the chance to pair one-time All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell with emerging star Devin Booker when the Brooklyn Nets completed a sign-and-trade, which sent Russell to the Golden State Warriors.
But that's not the end of the story
According to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic, the Suns did not want to pursue Russell because the front office believed he would not be a “good influence” on shooting guard Booker.
The Suns chose not to pursue Russell despite Devin Booker's campaign for them to target his close friend, according to league sources familiar with the situation.
The Suns apparently felt Russell wouldn’t have been a good influence on Booker off the court.
Russell was drafted second overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. However, after two seasons with the Lakers, Los Angeles traded the then-20-year-old Russell to Brooklyn due to issues in the locker room. Russell was blamed for chemistry problems after a video he took of former teammate Nick Young confessing to cheating on his then-finacée rapper Iggy Azalea leaked.
Since the trade, though, Russell has gone on to resurrect his career with the Nets and reach the All-Star team during the 2018-19 season. The Nets, after securing commitments from stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, however, sent Russell to the Warriors.
There would potentially be issues with on-court compatibility between Booker and Russell, too. D'Lo is known as a shoot-first point guard, which could hurt the Suns' offense due to 22-year-old Booker's high usage and scoring output.
Instead, the Suns decided to sign free agent point guard Ricky Rubio, a distributive floor general.
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