As we head into the quiet period here in the 2024 NBA offseason, the Knicks can look at what they’ve assembled and feel pretty good about where they are. We had a big Knicks trade early in the process, and they got two key contracts—Jalen Brunson’s and OG Anunoby’s—sealed up favorably, with Brunson even taking a relative discount.
They now have a core without a major superstar but packed with depth and versatility—Brunson, Anunoby, new forward Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart. But the looming question for the Knicks is what to make of Julius Randle, the three-time Knicks All-Star whose dislocated shoulder ended his season in January.
Randle is obviously valuable and averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists last year. But as the Knicks are being remade around versatility and 3-point shooting, Randle could now be an awkward fit. With two years and $59 million (2025-26 is a player option) remaining on his four-year, $119 million contract, Randle is not easy to trade.
But there is a team that could, perhaps, use him: the Clippers, who are looking to make up for the loss of Paul George in free agency this month.
Julius Randle Style of Play a Problem for Rebuilt Lineup
The contract is not the only thing that makes Randle a difficult player to trade. There is also his style of play. He does not shoot the 3-pointer well, and requires the ball to funnel through him often. Not many teams can carve out a role for him.
But with George gone, Randle might fit well next to Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
“(The Knicks) do not have a lot of options trying to find a team to take Randle,” one Western Conference exec told Heavy Sports. “There’s not a lot of teams you can drop him into the lineup and they’d be fine, and there’s not a lot of teams that want to match up contracts there.
“But the Clippers could. They want another star for that group. Look around, that is one of the few places where it can make logical sense.”
The Clippers could absorb Randle in a Knicks trade, and could address a Knicks need in the process—another center. A deal that sends Ivica Zubac from the Clippers to the Knicks, with PJ Tucker, would work. The Knicks would get another center in combination with Mitchell Robinson—Zubac could even be the starter—and Randle’s money would be off the books.
Knicks Trade Requires a Big Return?
It’s a win-win, except that for the Knicks, the approach with Randle is not one of dump-at-all-costs. Though he probably does not fit with the remade lineup, the Knicks still see Randle as a star and want a significant return on him.
That’s the stance, at least, for now.
“They do not want to give him away,” the exec told Heavy. “He’s an All-Star, he has put up numbers, they want him to be treated like that. But that’s a July stance. Maybe that changes in August or September. They need some depth up front, they need a center. And with the guys they’re going to be paying, do they really want to give Julius $30 million a year for the next two years?”
Probably not.
Zubac, who is in the final year of a three-year, $33 million contract, averaged 9.2 rebounds and a career-high 11.7 points last year. He shot 64.9% from the field and would be a cut above what center Isaiah Hartenstein (departed for the Thunder) offered last year.
The Knicks could enter the upcoming season with Randle at power forward, though they’d probably prefer to have Anunoby in that spot. A trade makes sense, and with limited options, a trade with the Clippers makes the most sense of all.
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Blockbuster Knicks Trade Pitch Lands $33 Million Center for Julius Randle