The Verdict
The Phoenix Suns don’t have to trade Brandon Knight. Since he’s likely out until after the All-Star Break, there’s a good chance teams wouldn’t be offering as much for his services, and McDonough rarely takes obvious losses on deals; that’s part of the reason Markieff Morris has yet to be traded.
Knight is only in the first year of a five-year contract, there’s a chance all the team’s injuries have played a part in his inability to fit in and the Suns are enamored with his shooting ability and his potential as a charismatic leader. He’s only 24 years old and still has plenty of room for growth.
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But Devin Booker is undoubtedly the future of the 2-guard spot in Phoenix, which means that unless Knight is willing to accept a sixth man role as the Suns’ heat check coming off the bench, he is expendable. Maybe not right now, and maybe not next season when he and Bledsoe are both healthy again, but eventually, Booker will need to assume the starting role.
In the midst of a lost season, it makes more sense to lean toward Booker taking on more responsibility sooner rather than later. Both Knight and Booker have been poor defenders, but even if you consider them a wash on that end, Booker is five years younger and has a much higher ceiling on that end at 6’6″. Once he fills out and learns the tricks of the trade, Booker figures to be a much better defender than Knight is.
His shooting prowess, driving ability and high basketball IQ should also make him a better fit at the 2-spot than Knight, which is why trading Knight would make some sense in blowing the roster up and starting from scratch — assuming Mcdonough can engineer a quality deal, of course, since trading him for nothing would be a major loss after McDonough gave up a potentially valuable Lakers pick for Knight last year.
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In the coming days, I’ll explore what a Brandon Knight trade might look like, but suffice it to say that there are a few that would make sense for the Suns. It might be too early to give up on Knight just yet, but that five-year, $70 million extension looks like a massive overpay with Knight visibly struggling on both ends of the floor.
If McDonough decides to blow the roster up, Knight would not only be expendable, but he’d also be one of the team’s better trade assets.