Getty RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks drives to the basket past Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Knicks and Jazz may be the most buzzed about teams looking to strike a deal as we approach the 2022-23 campaign, but this is not to say that Utah’s the only trade partner out there for New York to consider.
There are 28 other franchises in the NBA who the Knickerbockers could try and finagle their way into trade talks with and while fans and media pundits alike are all trying their hand at coming up with possible blockbuster ideas, in reality, not many have proven to be all that feasible.
Just recently, The Athletic’s Fred Katz brought to light one trade proposal between New York and the Philadelphia 76ers that was sent to him by a reader via mailbag request.
The meat of this hypothetical deal reads as follows:
New York Knicks receive:
- Tobias Harris
Philadelphia 76ers receive:
- Julius Randle
- Evan Fournier
The reader broached the subject of a possible exchange between the long-time Atlantic Division rivals by asking why there haven’t been any trade talks revolving around Randle and Fournier for Tobias Harris.
“Tobias is such a better fit for this roster as a big wing who can shoot and doesn’t require the ball to be effective. While Randle would match up well with Embiid and give them an additional big facilitator when Joel Embiid gets his rest. Plus Fournier would be a better version of Furkan Korkmaz.”
Though the reader believes such a move could be of great benefit to the Sixers, Katz certainly was not as high on the hypothetical.
“I don’t believe Randle is anywhere close to a better fit with Embiid than Harris is, and I’d bet my bank account that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey agrees with me. Defenders would help off Randle to double-team Embiid all the time.
“There’s a reason the 76ers felt compelled to play Georges Niang so much last season: He was a power forward who defenses couldn’t leave open on the 3-point arc. Harris isn’t a Curry, but opponents guard him away from the basket. He can get his buckets effectively. And don’t forget: Harris makes more money than Randle, but he has only two years remaining on his contract, compared to a daunting four for the Knicks’ forward,” Katz wrote.
Realistically, even if this was a trade that both teams were interested in partaking in, draft capital would certainly need to be involved in one way or another, as Katz insinuated later on in the article that teams the Knicks have been in contact with about Randle’s availability have been inquiring about bringing back draft capital along with him.
Utah Not Interested in Randle
The main objective for the New York Knicks this summer seems to be to acquire Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, and, per an August 16 report by The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Tony Jones, the two parties have re-engaged in talks after nearly a month-long hiatus.
Now, in an ideal world, a deal would involve Mitchell being swapped out for Julius Randle, allowing for a clean and fluid parting of ways between him and the franchise.
Unfortunately, however, the Utah Jazz are reportedly uninterested in acquiring the big man which, in turn, will wind up forcing the Knicks’ hand in including some of their young and promising prospects such as Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, and, most notably, Obi Toppin who is apparently someone that the front office is willing to part ways with.
Charlotte Sharpshooter ‘Plan B’ for Knicks
If the New York Knicks don’t wind up landing Mitchell, there are plenty of other routes the franchise could consider embarking on.
One, in particular, could be a deal with the Charlotte Hornets, as an anonymous Eastern Conference executive revealed to Heavy’s Sean Deveney that a lot of teams have been viewing veteran forward Gordon Hayward as a possible “Plan B” option.
“I think a lot of teams have considered Gordon Hayward a Plan B if they can’t get Mitchell or Durant. The Hornets have taken calls on him but they’re still figuring out what to do about him, about the Miles Bridges stuff, what direction they’re taking,” the executive said.
“He’d be good with what the Knicks have, with Brunson and R.J. Barrett, a bigger guy who can be a ballhandler. If he can stay healthy. That’s the only reason the Hornets would consider moving him, to get off that contract (two years remaining, $62 million) for a guy who has not been healthy.”
Since his 2016-17 All-Star campaign, injuries have unfortunately become synonymous with Gordon Hayward, as he’s played in more than 52 games just once since.
That said, even with his questionable health, since signing in Charlotte back in November of 2020 the small forward has still managed to produce admirably, posting impressive per-game averages of 17.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.1 steals on 46.6% shooting from the floor and 40.2% shooting from deep.