Former Suns HC Says He Nixed a Devin Booker Trade to the Chicago Bulls in 2017

The Chicago Bulls nearly got their hands on one of the NBA's elite scorers.

The Hear District Podcast, hosted by Kris and Marques Johnson, recently invited former NBA point guard and coach Earl Watson onto the show. As part of their extended interview, the three discussed Watson's stint as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns.

An assistant during the 2015-16 campaign, the organization named Watson the interim head coach after firing Jeff Hornacek that same year. They eventually promoted him to the full- time position ahead of the 2016-17 season. According to Watson, it was during this season in February that former Suns owner Robert Sarver approached him with a shocking trade opportunity.

“He goes, ‘we have a trade for Devin. We’re going to send Devin to Chicago for Jimmy Butler. In that moment, I am the biggest Devin Booker advocate. It would have been a hell of a team, though. Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler, Brandon Knight, Jimmy Butler – it could have changed my entire coaching trajectory … This was the beginning of the end on me in Phoenix. In that moment, I said if you trade Devin Booker, I’m resigning tonight.”

Watson said Sarver called him to his house in the wee hours of the morning after a team road trip. It's well-documented that Butler had been feuding with Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg during this season, and trade rumors were starting to circulate. It was also well-documented at the time that the Suns were among the teams interested in Butler, but was Booker always on the table?

Zach Lowe reported after Butler's trade in June of 2017 that the two sides had discussed Eric Bledsoe at the No. 4 overall pick, but he did not mention Booker. To be sure, the shooting guard was only in his second year and wasn't considered the superstar he is today, but it sure feels like the Bulls would have preferred a deal that included the Kentucky standout.

Nevertheless, it sounds like Watson did everything he could to stop the Suns from moving forward with the talks. And I have to imagine Phoenix is extremely grateful in hindsight. Not only did the Suns go on to make a Finals run with Booker in the years to come, but he remains one of the league's elite scorers. The franchise has continued to view him as the backbone of their roster as they attempt to rebuild a contender around him.

As for the Bulls, it's impossible not to play the "what if" game after hearing Watson's story. The team would hold on to Butler until the 2017 offseason, moving him to the Timberwolves in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, and Zach LaVine. While the package of young talent felt decent at the time, the decision led to a multi-year rebuild that resulted in an overhaul of the front office. And not a single one of those players is on the roster today.

Is that to say the Bulls would have made the most out of adding Booker and put him in a position to succeed? It's hard to say. If one thing is for sure, however, he turned into the best player of that bunch and would have given the organization an incredible asset.

Curse you, Earl Watson!