Gilbert Arenas Calls For Stephen A Smith’s ‘Devin Booker’ Informant To Be Fired As The Knicks Enter The ECSF

Over the past two seasons, the New York Knicks have enjoyed a terrific resurgence and are re-establishing themselves as an Eastern Conference powerhouse. Their upturn in form and results after a decade of dormancy has made them a potential landing spot for star players looking for a change in scenery and per ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, one of the league’s finest guards, Devin Booker, has his heart set on moving to the Big Apple.

Last week, Smith claimed the Phoenix Suns superstar was interested in joining the Knicks. He said on First Take,

Smith’s surprising revelation did not sit well with retired NBA star Gilbert Arenas. On Monday’s episode of the Gil’s Arena podcast, he flamed the analyst for airing the news out just as the Knicks were preparing for Game 1 of their second-round series against the Indiana Pacers. He said,

“Whoever gave [Stephen A. Smith] that information, just let him go. I don’t care whoever. He’s the [Knicks] organization, just let him because not right now! We don’t need that kind of talk right now! We’re going into the second Round! We don’t need the players in this locker room thinking about they’re about to be traded for a dude who just got put out of the playoffs! Not right now! Why are you putting this kind of energy?!” 

Arenas argued that the Knicks players need to focus on the job at hand and distractions like chatter about Booker potentially joining the team via a trade in the offseason would mess with their psyche and potentially affect their performance.

Arenas is spot on. Outside of Jalen Brunson, no player on the roster would be off-limits if the franchise explores a move for the Suns superstar. The Knicks roster is a tight-knit group that thrives off each other’s energy. If doubt starts creeping into the minds of a few players about their futures with the franchise, it could hurt the team morale. Booker isn’t helping the team in their current playoff run, so any chatter about him joining them should be reserved until they’re eliminated.

Could the Knicks pull off the move of the summer and land Devin Booker?

The Suns’ playoff implosion against the Minnesota Timberwolves has cast a shadow over the future of their superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Together, they are set to earn over $150 million next year, which leaves the Suns with almost no room financially to add more talent to the roster. They could break up their ‘Big 3’ and get multiple players and assets in return and build a more balanced team.

Durant’s age and Beal’s injury record mean that Phoenix won’t fetch much in return if they trade one of the two. But trading Booker could land them a king’s ransom. They’d also create close to $50 million in cap space to chase another superstar and multiple stars and also have assets to trade in the future.

While trading Booker makes sense for several reasons, the Suns are unlikely to even entertain the possibility. But owner Mat Ishbia has already announced that the team plans to retain the starting lineup, tweak the bench, and run it back next season. If the Knicks are interested in landing the guard, they could try and test the Suns’ resolve with a strong offer.

But it’ll likely take an unprecedented haul of draft picks and players and Booker to publicly admit that he wants to exit the franchise for a trade to materialize.