By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With Kevin Durant officially out and on the verge of parting ways with Bradley Beal, the Phoenix Suns are on a completely different path with Devin Booker. The 28-year-old guard is expected to sign a two-year contract extension for 150 million dollars, as reported by The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin.
With the current deal lasting until the end of the 2027-28 season, the contract extension pushes the expiration date to the end of the 2029-30 season.
Also on Sunday, with the NBA moratorium lifted, the Durant trade was officially confirmed.
Per the press release: “The Phoenix Suns announced today that the team has acquired forward Dillon Brooks and guard Jalen Green, and the draft rights to center Khaman Maluach, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, forward Rasheer Fleming, the 31st overall pick, and guard Koby Brea, the 41st overall pick, and a 2026 second-round pick, as part of a seven-team deal that sends forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets.
Dillon Brooks
Brooks (6’-6”, 225 pounds) scored 14.0 points per game with career highs of 2.5 three-pointers made per game on 39.7% three-point shooting in 75 games with the Rockets last season. He played a career-high 31.8 minutes per game and received votes for the NBA All-Defensive Team, helping the Rockets to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and the NBA’s fifth-best Defensive Rating. The 29-year-old Brooks was an NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection in 2022-23 and has been a starter on teams that have earned a division title and the No. 2 playoff seed in three of the past four seasons.
An eight-year NBA veteran, Brooks holds career averages of 14.2 points on 41.9% shooting from the field, 35.5% from three-point range and 80.4% from the free throw line in 492 games with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston. He has also appeared in four postseasons, raising his scoring average to 15.1 points in 29 career playoff games. Brooks entered the NBA as the 45th overall pick by Houston in the 2017 NBA Draft after leading the University of Oregon to its first Final Four appearance in 78 years in 2017. A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Brooks is a member of Canada’s senior national team, helping Canada to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Jalen Green
Green (6’-4”, 186 pounds) averaged a team-high 21.0 points, as well as 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 steals in 82 games with the Rockets last season, shooting career highs of 35.4% from three-point range and 81.3% from the free throw line. The 23-year-old surpassed career totals of 6,000 points, 1,300 rebounds and 1,000 assists in 2024-25, making him one of just six players who have entered the NBA in the last 25 years to exceed each of these totals through four career seasons along with Anthony Edwards, Luka Dončić, Blake Griffin, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Green made his postseason debut with the Rockets this past season, scoring 38 points and tying a franchise playoff record with eight made three-pointers in his second career playoff game on April 23.
Originally the second overall pick by Houston in the 2021 NBA Draft, Green holds career averages of 20.1 points on 42.2% shooting from the field, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 307 games over four seasons. He is one of only three NBA players to start all 82 games in each of the last two seasons. Green has recorded 51 career games scoring 30-plus points, including matching his career high of 42 points on three occasions. The Fresno, Calif. native entered the NBA after playing the 2020-21 season with the NBA G League Ignite.
Khaman Maluach
Maluach (7’-1”, 253 pounds) was the 10th overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft following one season at Duke University where he was an ACC All-Rookie Team selection. He averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while starting all 39 games, and his 71.2% shooting on the year ranked as the third-highest field goal percentage in a season in Duke program history. The 18-year-old helped the Blue Devils reach the Final Four and was named to the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team, shooting 84.0% from the field during the NCAA Tournament.
A native of South Sudan, Maluach is the highest-drafted former Basketball Africa League and NBA Academy Africa player ever. He played three seasons in the BAL, averaging 17.8 points, 2.8 blocks and a league-leading 13.5 rebounds in 2024. Maluach joined the NBA Academy Africa in 2021 and earned MVP honors at the 2023 Basketball Without Borders Africa camp and Defensive MVP honors at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp at NBA All-Star 2024. A member of his home country’s senior national team, Maluach represented South Sudan at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics where he was the youngest player in both tournaments.
Rasheer Fleming
Fleming (6’-8”, 232 pounds) earned All-Atlantic 10 First Team honors at Saint Joseph’s University last season, averaging career highs of 14.7 points on 53.1% shooting from the field and 39.0% from three-point range, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.3 assists. He led the conference in steals-plus-blocks per game and ranked second in both rebounding and double-doubles, and was one of just three players in all of NCAA Division I last season to average over eight rebounds, one block, one steal and one three-point make per game. A native of Camden, N.J., Fleming played 101 career games over three collegiate seasons and is the first Saint Joseph’s player selected in the NBA Draft since 2016.
Koby Brea
Brea (6’-6”, 202 pounds) averaged a career-high 11.6 points in his fifth and final season at the University of Kentucky, which followed four seasons at the University of Dayton. He shot 43.4% from three-point range for his college career, leading all of NCAA Division I in three-point shooting percentage during the 2023-24 season while at Dayton (49.8%) before leading the SEC in the same category in 2024-25 at Kentucky (43.5%). Brea was a two-time Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year award winner while at Dayton, joining James Posey as the only players to win the award twice. A native of Washington Heights, N.Y., Brea has represented the Dominican Republic in FIBA international competition.
As part of the seven-team trade, the Suns sent the draft rights to Alex Toohey, the 52nd overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, to the Golden State Warriors and a 2026 second-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns also acquired guard Daeqwon Plowden from the Atlanta Hawks in the trade, who was subsequently waived.
Note: Maluach’s name is pronounced Kah-mahn Mahl-oo-ahch, Fleming’s first name is pronounced Rah-sheer and Brea’s name is pronounced Ko-bee BRAY-uh.
PHOENIX SUNS QUOTE SHEET
Phoenix Suns General Manager Brian Gregory on:
Kevin Durant
“One of the greatest to ever play the game, we are grateful for the impact Kevin made on our organization and in our community. As a member of the Suns, he climbed the scoring charts to become just the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points, and we wish him the best as he continues his career in Houston.”
Suns acquisition Dillon Brooks
“Dillon embodies the grit and toughness we value, bringing a fearless mentality to the court. He consistently plays at an NBA All-Defensive Team level while also positively affecting our offense in a multitude of ways. He will make an immediate impact on our organization.”
Suns acquisition Jalen Green
“Jalen is an explosive scorer who has already shown impressive productivity across the board throughout his young career. His athleticism and natural ability are off the charts. Jalen has already proven his commitment to putting in the work that excellence requires, and we believe that his approach to the game will allow him to further unlock his incredible upside here in Phoenix.”
Khaman Maluach, 10th overall pick
“Khaman is a transformational talent – a top-10 lottery pick with elite physical tools, disruptive defense, and limitless upside. His humility, relentless work ethic, and drive to improve will make an immediate impact on our team and in our community. With his mindset and the energy level that he competes with, Khaman has everything you need to secure success on and off the court.”
Rasheer Fleming, 31st overall pick
“Rasheer plays with a high motor and possesses a combination of strength, length and shooting touch. His continual progress and improvement during his college career was impressive. He can defend multiple positions and contribute offensively both on the perimeter and around the basket, which makes him a valuable addition for us.”
Koby Brea, 41st overall pick
“Koby was quite simply the best three-point shooter in college basketball over the past couple of seasons. In addition to his outstanding shooting ability, he plays with a high basketball IQ and brings solid size at the guard position. We have been greatly impressed with his work ethic and desire to expand his game.””
Beyond the two-time NBA champion with the Warriors, Beal is expected to be released upon reaching an agreement for a contract buyout.
The contrast of Booker committing for two more years with the organization based in Arizona is a clear sign of plans being based on the four-time NBA All-Star.
