The New York Knicks have proven to remain as one of the titans of the East over the past few seasons.
New York holds firm possession of the conference’s No. 3 seed with a 27-15 record, with their 125-119 overtime victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night giving the group a renewed sense of focus after dropping five of their previous seven contests.
Jalen Brunson’s 38 points led the way for the Knicks in a narrow win without All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup, with Mikal Bridges’ 23 points helping to pull the team ahead in the final stages.
While Bridges has been a valuable piece to the Knicks since arriving through a trade with the Brooklyn Nets this past offseason, the franchise’s front office could be sensing a chance to flip the 28-year-old and bring in even more firepower from a struggling Phoenix Suns team recently mired in trade speculation.
Currently holding a 19-20 record, the Suns’ disappointing season could potentially lead the team to become huge sellers as the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches.
If the team plans to hit the reset button, Phoenix’s superstar shooting guard Devin Booker could be made available at the right price.
At 28 years old and in season No. 10, Booker is a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection who led the Suns to an NBA Finals appearance in 2021.
The masterful scorer and improved passer is averaging 25.2 points and 6.9 assists for Phoenix this season, which could lead the organization to test his worth in the trade market.
In a deal for Booker, New York would likely send the two-way star Bridges back to the franchise that selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Bridges would return to the team that he helped lead to the NBA Finals alongside Booker as a key role player, while Booker gets to reunite with Towns, his close friend and former collegiate teammate at the University of Kentucky.
A deal for a disgruntled Booker may not be completely out of the realm of possibility, as his ties to Towns and desire to compete could lead to the skilled offensive weapon requesting a trade.
If it becomes a reality, the trio of Brunson, Booker and Towns could run their conference for the foreseeable future.
To make the deal work financially for Phoenix, New York would have to play around with the contracts of Mitchell Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, Jericho Sims, Miles McBride and others to figure out which assets would best fit in a package with Bridges and first-round draft capital.
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