ESPN’s Brian Windhorst Stunned by One Specific Detail in Devin Booker’s Contract Extension That Suns Fans Need to Know

When news broke that Devin Booker had agreed to a contract extension with the Phoenix Suns, the reactions were largely celebratory across the Valley. After all, Booker has been the face of the franchise since he was drafted in 2015, and his loyalty and scoring brilliance have made him a staple of Phoenix basketball. But not everyone was simply clapping and nodding in agreement. ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst had a different reaction—one of surprise, and perhaps even disbelief—over a very specific aspect of the deal.

Windhorst, who’s followed the NBA’s financial dynamics for decades and has broken some of the league’s biggest stories, said during a recent episode of The Hoop Collective podcast that he “couldn’t believe” how player-friendly Booker’s extension was, even by superstar standards.

“I’ve seen a lot of extensions,” Windhorst said. “But when I looked at the structure of Devin Booker’s new deal, I had to double-check. I couldn’t believe the Suns agreed to that clause.”

The clause in question? A full player option on the final year of the four-year extension, giving Booker complete control over his basketball future in the summer of 2031.

That means Booker could opt out of the final season and become an unrestricted free agent while still in his early 30s—right in the prime of his career. If the Suns aren’t competitive by then, or if circumstances change—whether in management, coaching, or with his teammates—Booker holds the ultimate leverage.

According to Windhorst, “That’s not something you just hand out. That’s something a team gives when it has no other choice.”

So why did the Suns give it?

To understand that, you have to rewind to the past two offseasons, when Phoenix reshaped its roster in an attempt to leap into title contention. After trading for Kevin Durant in early 2023 and Bradley Beal in the summer that followed, the Suns pushed all their chips into the middle. But the superteam experiment didn’t exactly yield championship glory. Instead, it exposed cracks—depth issues, injuries, and questions about long-term flexibility.

Booker, however, was never part of the problem. He’s been consistently brilliant, both in the regular season and the playoffs. His 2023 postseason performance—averaging over 33 points per game on eye-popping efficiency—was a stark reminder that he remains one of the league’s most potent offensive weapons. He’s also shown leadership through multiple coaching changes and roster overhauls.

So when it came time to extend Booker again, the Suns were essentially negotiating from a position of desperation. There was no world in which they could risk alienating their cornerstone.

“He had leverage,” Windhorst said. “With the supermax already available, the only real negotiation was about control. And Booker got it.”

The extension, which adds four years and $248 million to his existing deal, locks him into the Suns’ future—on paper—through 2031. But that final year now hinges entirely on Booker’s satisfaction with the team’s direction by that point. And for a franchise already deep into the luxury tax and struggling with future flexibility, it’s a precarious place to be.

Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who took over in 2023, has made aggressive moves to try and bring a championship to Phoenix. From front office restructuring to coaching changes and blockbuster trades, he’s shown he’s not afraid to spend or shake things up. But Windhorst hinted that even bold owners can overstep, especially when their ambition leads them to give away leverage too easily.

“The full player option isn’t just a perk,” Windhorst said. “It’s a signal. It tells the player, ‘You hold the cards. You call the shots.’ And in Booker’s case, he now controls the future timeline of this team.”

There’s also the question of timing. By the time Booker’s player option comes up, the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement will have matured, and there may be additional financial motivations to re-enter free agency. Plus, with the salary cap projected to spike again thanks to future media deals, Booker could stand to earn even more than the already staggering figures in this extension.

While some might argue that this is simply the price of doing business with superstars in today’s NBA, Windhorst pushed back.

“Yes, the league has changed. Yes, stars have more control. But not every star gets this kind of deal. Not even all-NBA guys. This is reserved for the truly elite—or the truly indispensable. And sometimes, not even then.”

Indeed, Windhorst pointed out that other stars—like Jayson Tatum or Donovan Mitchell—have signed extensions without full player options at the end. In fact, Mitchell’s recent extension with Cleveland, while lucrative, came with a mutual understanding that both sides would revisit the partnership down the line. Booker’s deal skips all that ambiguity. He decides.

Suns fans may not view this as an immediate red flag—after all, Booker has repeatedly stated his love for Phoenix, and he’s helped build something lasting. But in the high-stakes NBA chessboard, giving a franchise player the ability to walk at any time is rarely viewed as a position of strength.

Windhorst emphasized that this detail doesn’t necessarily mean Booker plans to leave—but it does mean he’s prepared.

“Look, I’m not saying he wants out. I’m saying he left the door open. And that’s smart on his part. Because right now, we don’t know what the Suns will look like in 2030.”

That sentiment has been echoed by others in the league. According to one Western Conference executive speaking anonymously, “It’s not about now. It’s about what happens if they flame out again. That’s when these options start to matter.”

For the Suns, the calculus seems clear: do whatever it takes to keep Booker happy. But the cost of doing so, as Windhorst made clear, may be giving up long-term stability. And if the Suns can’t win a championship in the next 2-3 years, Booker’s player option suddenly becomes a very real pivot point—not just for him, but for the entire direction of the franchise.

Still, fans in Phoenix shouldn’t panic—yet. Booker remains under contract for at least the next five seasons, and the team has a talented core, even if they haven’t quite lived up to expectations. Durant and Beal are still on the roster, and Ishbia has signaled that he’s not done making big moves.

But the pressure is officially on. With Booker holding the key to the Suns’ future, every season now becomes a referendum. Are they building toward something sustainable? Or are they hurtling toward a moment where the franchise player decides he wants a new chapter?

In the end, Windhorst’s surprise wasn’t rooted in skepticism about Booker. It was about the rare transparency this deal offers into the delicate balance between superstar empowerment and organizational control.

“This is the modern NBA,” Windhorst said. “But even in this modern era, it’s rare to see a team go this far to keep one player satisfied. That tells you everything about how Phoenix views Booker. And maybe more importantly, it tells you how Booker views his future—on his terms.”

Only time will tell whether this calculated bet pays off for the Suns. But one thing is certain: Brian Windhorst won’t be the last to point out that this isn’t your typical superstar extension. And Suns fans, if they weren’t paying attention before, might want to take another look at that contract—and what it really means.