Suns offseason outlook: Is Devin Booker a franchise player?

The Phoenix Suns had a surprisingly good season on the heels of trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets.

Dillon Brooks took a substantial offensive leap, and Jalen Green — while inconsistent — had periods when his performance looked mature and more primed for positive play.

Unfortunately for the Suns, issues remain. Chief among them being a topic that will be controversial to fans of the organization.

Is Devin Booker good enough to be viewed as a No. 1 star?

Look, Booker is good. He's a formidable scorer, his playmaking has been historically undervalued, and he's made defensive strides over the course of his career, which have mostly gone unnoticed.

That said, outside of games when he truly goes off, Booker seems to fluctuate between franchise leader and complementary star.

During their sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, Booker averaged 21.3 points per game and looked every bit like a guy who isn't a primary player. He also shot 46% from the floor and 25% from 3 and averaged four turnovers per game.

Some will point to his persistent ankle issues, and that's a fair point. His performance against Oklahoma City might not be representative of his true impact.

Yet we've seen him decline as a 3-point shooter for four years now (34.3% over his last 260 games), and he is a bit all over the place.

After averaging 31 points and seven assists over the first eight games of the season, his scoring dropped by a whopping 10 points per game over the next 14.

For a player, whose primary skill is putting the ball in the basket, the Suns need more out of him.

2025-26 finish

Record: 45-37, seventh in the Western Conference. Eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in four games in the first round.

Highlight of the season