NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Knicks' Devin Booker Interest, Contract Issues

Since the New York Post reported that the Knicks could be targeting Devin Booker over the weekend, most of the NBA's trade rumors have focused on the rising Phoenix star.

Booker is coming off of what would have been his best season yet had it not been cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. In his 62 starts of the 2019-20 season, he averaged 26.1 points per game, 6.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds on 48.7 percent shooting from the field. He also shot 36 percent from beyond the arc. 

The 23-year-old has averaged 22.3 career points for the Suns and averaged at least 20 points since his sophomore season.

There's plenty to make Booker an attractive candidate for any team.

Add in the fact that new Knicks president Leon Rose has ties to Booker, and he becomes an even more likely player for New York to go after, the New York Post's Marc Berman noted:

"However, since Leon Rose was hired as president, the player to watch out for most is Suns combo guard Devin Booker, according to league sources. If Rose hires Tom Thibodeau, Towns—a former Rose client—no longer makes sense because of their history. 

"Booker and Towns were Rose clients who played at Kentucky, which means Knicks adviser William Wesley is close to each. Rose has done well with Kentucky standouts because of Wesley."

However, how realistic are the rumors?

While the potential hire of Thibodeau by Rose makes Booker a more likely target than Towns, there may be a couple of challenges to his departing Phoenix for New York.

For one, an "opposing executive" doubted the legitimacy of the trade rumor, according to SNY's NBA Insider Ian Begley.

"But is a trade for Booker realistic? I asked one opposing executive for their thoughts and they sent back a straightforward reply: 'LOL'

"The reason that this is such a long shot? Booker 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. Let's assume that Booker wants to leave Phoenix and get moved to New York. Because he has four years remaining on his deal, there doesn't appear to be much Booker can do to force Phoenix to make a trade."

Beyond an anonymous source discrediting the claim, the main issue here seems to be his contract.

Booker's five-year, $158 million extension with the Suns only began in 2019-20, so he still has four seasons of a big payout left. And with so much time left in his contract, it would take a monumental trade proposal for Phoenix to want to deal away their star guard.

Additionally, Booker has stated he wants to win "in Phoenix," per SB Nation's Dave King.

"He loves the fans and wants the fans to experience joy again, in the form of lots of wins just like the old days," King wrote in November 2019. 

New York would have to involve first-round picks and maybe even one of their bigger stars, such as RJ Barrett or Mitchell Robinson, if they wanted Booker anytime soon.

They may have more leverage as Booker closes in on the end of his contract; however, it seems unlikely that a trade—one that wouldn't hurt the Knicks too badly—could be figured out in the near future.

Contract information via Spotrac

Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference