A couple of teams come to in terms of being at the bottom of the barrel for years, but one specific team that comes to mind is the Phoenix Suns. The Suns haven't been a relevant team in a long time and have been at the bottom for years. The latest news will likely only add to that, as Devin Booker had to have surgery on his hand and is set to miss quite some time with the NBA season approaching.

Undergoes surgery

According to an article by ESPN, Booker had the surgery "to repair an injury to the fifth metacarpophalangeal joint of his right hand, and the Suns say the expected recovery time is approximately six weeks." The timetable will cause the player to miss the preseason, along with some of the regular season. The star was advised to go through with the surgery due to swelling in the hand.

Pickup game

According to an article by Clutch Points, General Manager Ryan McDonough of the Phoenix Suns mentioned that Booker has been dealing with the injury since last year. It seemed to not be a problem, as the injury seemed to be getting better, but the GM recounted a pickup game at the practice facility where the injury got progressively worse: "Just in one of those games, the hand swelled up." The injury got worse over time, so it was smart of Devin Booker to get the surgery out of the way.

The huge extension

The young star who is just 21 years of age signed a big contract to stay with the Phoenix Suns. According to ESPN, Booker signed a 5-year, $158 million maximum contract extension with the Suns in July. Devin Booker has developed into the franchise player for the team, and, being only 21, he has the potential to get even better.

Devin Booker averaged 24.9 points per game in his third NBA season. He has shown that he can do just about everything on the floor for the Phoenix Suns, including scoring, passing, and playing decent defense.

The Phoenix Suns will be looking to bounce back this year and will look toward the future as they drafted big man Deandre Ayton in the draft, along with Mikal Bridges.

The team also signed shooter Trevor Ariza to a contract. They also still have Josh Jackson, but managed to lose Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss in a trade with the Houston Rockets to acquire streaky shooter Ryan Anderson.

While it's unclear at this point how the Phoenix Suns will play without Devin Booker, the good news is that the team as a whole has a bright future ahead, and they have pieces in place to make some noise moving forward.