Devin Booker's time in Phoenix is starting to look longer than it feels.
Booker has already spent 11 seasons with the Suns, putting his Phoenix run ahead of Allen Iverson's 10.25 seasons with the 76ers. Once the new season begins, Booker will also have been a Sun longer than Damian Lillard's first stint with the Trail Blazers and Russell Westbrook's original run with the Thunder.
The comparison works because perception does strange things with franchise stars. Iverson's Sixers years feel massive because they defined an era in Philadelphia. Lillard in Portland and Westbrook in Oklahoma City carry the same weight. Booker still gets discussed like a player whose story is not settled.
The length of the stay is the point. Booker has gone through a rebuild, a Finals run, the Chris Paul era, the Kevin Durant swing and another roster reset without leaving Phoenix. Many stars reach this stage and ask out or accept a pivot. Donovan Mitchell, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis and others moved sooner.
Booker has not. He remains the clean franchise face as Phoenix reshapes the roster again. The question is whether the next Suns build can make the loyalty feel less like a waiting game.
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