Several NBA teams in desperate need of stellar power should express a strong interest in acquiring Booker from the Suns, including the New York Knicks.
According to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, bringing Booker to New York is “a change of course” that the Knicks could make this summer. In the proposed trade deal, the Knicks allegedly sent a trade package that included Julius Randle, Frank Ntilikina and their choice of 2020 first round for the only ones in exchange for Booker. The deal works with ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine.
Booker’s successful takeover would not turn the Knicks into an instant title contender in the Eastern Conference, but it’s easy to see why Swartz viewed the potential deal as a change of course for New York. Booker is not just a superstar, but someone who fits perfectly with the timeline of the young Knicks core of Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox. If they grew up together and built good chemistry, the Knicks would finally have a realistic chance of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and ending their years of drought.
Meanwhile, acquiring Randle, Ntilikina and choosing the first Knicks round of 2020 in exchange for Booker is not bad for the Suns at all. However, Swartz believes that the Suns would only go ahead with the trade if the Knicks get a choice between the top two in the 2020 NBA Draft in which they could use to select Anthony Edwards or LaMelo Ball.