In our recent mailbag, we talked answered a few questions about speculation surrounding Devin Booker and the Knicks.
It became a topic of conversation over the weekend when the New York Post wrote, in a reader mailbag, that the player to "watch out for most" regarding a potential Knicks trade is Booker. The connection between Booker and the Knicks is clear: Leon Rose, New York’s president, used to be Booker’s agent at Creative Artists Agency. William "World Wide Wes" Wesley also has a relationship with Booker. Wesley is the Knicks’ executive vice president and a senior advisor to Rose.
Any speculation about a Booker trade includes the assumption that the young star would force a trade from the Suns.
No one knows whether Booker would take that type of stance – either publicly or privately. As we pointed out in the mailbag, it’s worth noting that Trevor Trout of EliteMediaGroup recently wrote that Booker’s father, Melvin Booker, is tired of watching Devin Booker lose in Phoenix.
Something else that’s worth noting about Booker and the Suns: last summer, the Arizona Republic reported that the Suns chose not to pursue D’Angelo Russell, Booker’s close friend, in free agency because the club “apparently felt Russell wouldn’t have been a good influence on Booker off the court.”
Booker, per league sources, wasn’t happy with the organization at the time of the report. The Arizona Republic noted that Booker had campaigned for club to sign Russell, who was a restricted free agent. The Suns instead pursued Terry Rozier and ended up signing Ricky Rubio.
Again, none of this is to suggest that Booker is going to demand a trade from the Suns. But there is some evidence to suggest that the relationship between Booker and the organization hasn't been unblemished.
Even if Booker asks for a trade, it seems unlikely that Phoenix would be in a rush to fill the request.
Booker, 23, is under contract for the next four seasons. The closer a player gets to the final year of his contract, the more leverage he has to force a trade. Four years is an eternity.
Could the Knicks make the Suns an intriguing offer for Booker? Maybe. But they’d probably have to sacrifice a significant amount of first-round picks and, you’d think, either RJ Barrett or Mitchell Robinson in the process.
If New York wanted to wait for Booker to get closer to the end of his deal, Phoenix would lose some leverage.
But it’s foolish to assume Phoenix would move Booker for anything less than a monumental trade package at this point.