The New York Knicks have been one of the most active teams in the open market dating back to Dec. of 2023 and as a result, the franchise has elevated to true championship contention status. Though it’s taken much mountain-moving to forge the current roster they boast, a recent proposal has the Knicks making one more deal that could put a stamp on all the efforts they’ve made to set themselves apart from the pack in the Eastern Conference.
Knicks: Karl-Anthony Towns listed as ideal trade piece in Devin Booker mock deal
Colin Keane of The Sporting News made the argument that the Knicks should deal their recently acquired All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker. Keane rationalized his position by accentuating the identical $49.2 million salaries both players will be earning in 2024-25 as a major reason for both teams to execute a deal, as well as saying this:
“The Suns could stand to balance out (and improve) their roster by acquiring Towns, moving Jusuf Nurkic into a bench big role (that he’d excel at), and letting Durant and Beal go wild without having to worry about sharing the ball with a third wing,” Keane wrote.
On the New York side of the deal, acquiring Booker would finally give the Knicks the stud offensive wing they’ve been longing for forever. Booker and Brunson would complement each other tremendously, and if Mitchell Robinson and the much-improved Jericho Sims struggle to stay healthy, the Knicks could pick up some big man help for cheap on the free agent market.”
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Knicks may want to keep Towns despite Booker’s immense offensive talent
The Knicks have gone through several changes even in recent months that have amplified their prowess on both ends of the floor, but another major abrupt move could be too much too soon for New York to work through. Towns is already a defensive upgrade from fellow 2024 All-Star and former Knicks franchise player Julius Randle in the frontcourt. Further, the center position is the weakest point of the Knicks’ roster, further worsened by Mitchell Robinson’s injury keeping him out until 2025.
Booker is a gifted scorer who is arguably the best in the Association at piling on points in the first quarter of games. As much as he’d help New York torch opponents from the opening tip, he has his share of flaws, chiefly not being able to deliver deep into the playoffs consistently.
The Knicks would also lose much defensively by adding the Kentucky product in exchange for their two-time All-NBA honoree, and are, quite frankly, set at both guard positions — and small forward at that. Towns may not be far removed from his own share of playoff woes, but the work he put in during the 2023-24 campaign, helping lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, coupled with his elite outside shooting, playmaking, and solid interior defense make him an invaluable element to the Knicks’ M-O that they may want to see play out for at least one season.
