The New York Knicks reportedly attempted to pull off a huge coup two days before the NBA Draft. Per report by a veteran Arizona radio show host, Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson tried to dangle Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis to the Phoenix Suns in hope of salvaging up-and-coming shooting guard Devin Booker and their lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
The rumor
Sports radio analyst John Gambadoro of the Arizona Sport 98.7 FM reported via Twitter the Knicks’ attempt to trade Porzingis for Booker and the no.4 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Jackson, who drafted the Latvian at no.4 in the 2015 NBA Draft, has recently made Porzingis available for trade discussions as he tries to once again accumulate draft picks and restart the Knicks’ rebuild. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog also confirmed that multiple teams – including the Suns – had contacted the Knicks front-office over the last few days to explore a potential trade for Porzingis.
The deal-breaker
The Suns apparently rejected the Knicks’ swap proposal involving Porzingis, Booker and the no.4 pick. The Suns firmly believe that Booker is the future of the franchise, and it would take more than Porzingis for him to be dealt away. As a matter of fact, this isn’t the first time the Suns turned down an enticing trade offer for Booker.
At the trade deadline, Phoenix was offered the opportunity to acquire Jimmy Butler but backed off from negotiations once the Bulls asked for Booker’s inclusion.
Porzingis on the Block
Phoenix has one of the youngest rosters in the NBA with Booker leading their core. Acquiring Porzingis would have been redundant for the Suns since they already have a 19-year-old power forward Dragan Bender on the team.
Then again, Porzingis is a massive upgrade at the four spot. The Suns would have created a 1-2 punch of Porzingis and Booker had the Knicks not asked for the latter’s inclusion.
As for the Knicks, Porzingis trade rumors will continue to put Jackson and the Knicks in the spotlight beyond the June 22 NBA Draft. Already dealing with Carmelo Anthony’s situation, the Knicks put themselves in a really tight spot for the remainder of the offseason following their decision to gauge interest for Porzingis (18.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg).
And while Jackson was unable to snag Booker and another lottery pick, he will have another chance to maximize Porzingis trade value by engaging trade talks with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, who hold the no.1 and no.3 picks respectively.
