Detroit Pistons: When is Devin Booker coming home?

In the second half of the Detroit Pistons preseason game, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant both sat on the bench in street clothes that included Detroit Tigers hats.

My first thought was that we can probably arrange to bring the two of you to Detroit if you like it so much, as I am certain Monty Williams could find minutes for two future Hall of Famers.

While Durant was probably just trolling a bit, Booker, who is from Grand Rapids, has long been a fan of all things Detroit, and you can see him wearing the gear of local teams all of the time.

He attended the Detroit Lions’ game earlier in the day and took pictures with Pistons’ legend Isiah Thomas on the field.

It made me wonder, “When is Devin Booker going to come home already?”

Could the Detroit Pistons trade for Devin Booker?

The Detroit Pistons had their chance to draft Devin Booker back in 2015, but instead went with Stanley Johnson, a decision that will live in infamy in the Motor City.

Booker was the local guy and thought he was coming to Detroit. He wanted to play for the team he grew up cheering for, but instead watched as Stanley Johnson put on a Pistons hat, which was a surprise to Booker, who had been told by the Pistons that he was their guy.

Now the only way for Detroit to undo that mistake is to trade for Devin Booker or wait for his free agency.

A trade is highly unlikely, as he is the centerpiece of the Phoenix Suns and a guy who could win an MVP someday soon. Booker has evolved into one of the best scorers in the NBA, the type of player you don’t trade away.

The only way Booker ever gets traded is if the Suns have a monumental collapse soon or want to rebuild in the post-Durant era, which is still many years away. In other words, a trade ain’t happening, so the Detroit Pistons will have to settle for waiting out his contract.

When is Devin Booker a free agent?

Devin Booker will be an unrestricted free agent five years from now in the year 2028 when he will be 31 years old.

He will be getting towards the end of his prime, but still in it, so it’s possible that he’ll want to spend the end of his career playing in front of his hometown fans.

By that time, the young Detroit core should be competitive (god, I hope so) and ready to add a big-time star that can hopefully put them over the top for a title.

Could Devin Booker be that guy?

He’ll be looking for one last big payday, so Detroit may have to offer a ton of money to get him and pay for a few years of less-than-prime Booker, which is not ideal, but I don’t think it’s too soon to start preparing for the possibility.

It’s rare that a star actually wants to play for Detroit and Booker has already embraced the city even though he’s not on the Pistons, so at some point, they need to bring him home.