'I'm excited': Phoenix Suns All-Star Devin Booker set to return Tuesday at Brooklyn Nets

BROOKLYN – Devin Booker is finally ready to return.

The Phoenix Suns All-Star guard is preparing to play in Tuesday’s game at Brooklyn on TNT after missing 21 games with a left groin strain. He's officially listed as probable.

"Looking forward to it a lot, man," Booker said after Monday's practice on Barclays Center's practice court. "I'm excited."

The Suns (29-26) are 10-11 during that stretch, but they’ve won eight of their last 10 games.

"I haven't played in 2023 yet," Booker said. "I think the team is in a good spot right now. We've turned some things around and turned it up a bit. I think it's perfect timing."

Booker went through his usual pregame workout before Saturday’s win at Detroit as he’s been doing more and more on-court activity.

Read more: 5 takeaways from Phoenix Suns' win over Detroit Pistons

"Obviously it will be restricted minutes, but he's progressed so well over the last few weeks," Suns coach Monty Williams said after Monday's practice. "When I was getting information from the medical team, there was just a increasing progression of obviously no more injury, but his cardio and how he was responding to hard workouts. Just felt like this was a good time to bring him back."

Booker said the last couple of weeks have been filled with rehabbing and training.

"It's a pretty repetitive schedule," Booker said. "Trying to find the flow in that and see the bigger picture in what we're trying to do. I did my bid as you'd say."

Williams had recently said he looked for Booker to play 5-on-5.

Booker said that happened Friday in Boston where Phoenix began the five-game road trip.

"Just checking all the boxes, more than last time," Booker said in referring to before he returned Christmas Day "Getting a chance to get up and down. Guys sacrificing their game day time, just playing 5-on-5 in Boston. Getting some real reps in. Some up and down full speed."

Averaging a career-best 27.1 points this season, Booker has missed a total of 26 games this season. He first sat two games with left hamstring tightness on Dec. 11 at New Orleans and Dec. 13 at Houston.

Booker returned on Dec. 15 against the Clippers in Los Angeles. He followed that up with a season-high 58-point blast in leading the Suns past New Orleans in Phoenix, but Booker sat the next three games, all at home against the Lakers, Wizards and Grizzlies, with groin soreness.

The Suns went 1-4 in those games Booker missed.

He returned Christmas Day at Denver only to re-aggravate his groin within the first five minutes of the game. Booker didn’t return and hasn’t played since.

"I'm excited for our team, but probably most of all, I'm excited for him," Suns All-Star point guard Chris Paul said. "Having been in this league as long as I have, I haven't seen but so many people who I think love the game as much as I do. He's one of the few. So I know how hard it is for him being out."

The Suns are still without Landry Shamet (right foot soreness) and Cameron Payne (right foot sprain). Payne hasn’t played since Jan. 4 at Cleveland while Shamet last saw action on Jan. 16 at Memphis.

Payne is scheduled for a third re-evaluation this week. They will be out Tuesday's game.

The Suns still have Jae Crowder listed on their injury report as the two sides “mutually agreed” he wouldn’t attend training camp.

Phoenix has been trying to trade the veteran forward as Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report tweeted the Suns offered Chris Paul, Crowder and draft picks to Brooklyn for Kyrie Irving.

The Nets reportedly are trading Irving and Markieff Morris to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and multiple draft picks.

The trade deadline is Thursday.

"It's the NBA, man," Booker said. "It's that time of the year you're going to hear all types of things. It's the business."

Crowder has met with Milwaukee after Phoenix granted the Bucks permission to speak with him.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker set to return Tuesday at Brooklyn Nets