Phoenix made one of the biggest trade deadline splashes in recent memory with the acquisition of Kevin Durant.
And despite the Suns now having three star players, none of those guys are anticipating a power struggle.
“We don’t have no hierarchy,” Booker said. “That’s the thing about it. You have Chris Paul, one of the greatest leaders of all time. You have coach Monty [Williams], you have [general manager] James Jones. We have guys that are all on the same plan, I think we all have different type of leading styles, which is the great thing about leadership is it comes in many different forms. And I think all of our games, and our mindsets, complement each other very well.
“Once you get a taste of Finals experience and having that under your belt, that’s all that you want,” Booker added. “We have one goal; we know it’s not going to be easy to get there, but we feel we have the talent, we have the mindset and everything it takes right here in this gym.”
A veteran himself, 37-year-old Paul knows how rare it is to play alongside someone as great as Durant.
“It’s different,” Paul told ESPN on Wednesday. “It’s taken some getting used to. I was telling [Devin Booker] the other day, I played with a lot of great players — I got a chance to play with Blake [Griffin], I got a chance to play with David West early in my career, I played with James [Harden] — [but] probably never two guys of this caliber, as far as Devin and KD. … I know I’m not taking it for granted. I told [Booker] not to.”
For the better part of 15 years, Paul and Durant have been rivals on the court so to now be on the same team together, Paul had to pinch himself when he was talking strategy with KD on the bench in their Tuesday night game against the Kings.
“I know, know KD, you know what I’m saying?” Paul said. “We done talked for years, worked out, all this stuff. It’s wild. Everything happens for a reason. KD is like family. So now, to get an opportunity to play alongside him in this capacity, I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity.”