Both the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns are reeling from franchise shortcomings in recent weeks, albeit in vastly different ways. The Knicks came up short in their pursuit of ex-Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, losing out to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, despite the Suns' success on the court in the past two seasons, they are now embroiled in the biggest controversy in the league. Suns team governor Robert Sarver was suspended for a year and fined $10 million dollars after being found guilty of fostering a toxic workplace with inappropriate remarks towards women and minorities.
While nothing has been confirmed of the Suns' or the Knicks' plans after recent events, some have already wondered whether the fallout of the Sarver fiasco and the failed Mitchell trade could lead the Suns and Knicks towards each other's paths. Knicks beat writer Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News said that Suns franchise star Devin Booker could be the Knicks' next trade target.
“The Phoenix Suns are in a tenuous situation, given what’s happening with their owner. I’m going to go with Devin Booker,” Bondy told HoopsHype's Michael Scotto during a podcast. “[…] I don’t know what’s going to happen in Phoenix at this point. I have no idea how the players are going to react to this Robert Sarver news. I can see an upheaval coming.”
Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander was believed to be one of the Knicks' next targets in their hunt for a franchise star, but the Thunder will be asking for a lot more than the Knicks would want to give up.
“If you think Utah wanted draft picks for Donovan Mitchell, what do you think [Thunder GM] Sam Presti is going to want for Shai? […] Shai’s a guy they signed to that extension for a reason. They think he’s a guy that can be a building block for that team,” Scotto said.
If there's a star the Knicks wanted to pursue, they could do a lot worse than Devin Booker. Booker is only 25-years old but he's proven to be one of the best players in the league already after being named to the All-NBA First Team this past season. While Suns fans will be hoping that the Sarver drama won't affect the team on the court, as the Booker and Chris Paul-led squad is still one of the best in the NBA, it's never too early for Knicks fans to dream.
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