Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks celebrates late in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat.
This summer, the New York Knicks could look to shake things up and make that long-awaited splash via the trade market. Though many believe the most likely incentive for the franchise would be to create a new Big 3 consisting of star big man Julius Randle, one NBA reporter is of the belief that he could find himself being used as an outbound asset.
When discussing the concept of players who could “potentially be dealt” following the Bradley Beal blockbuster with the Phoenix Suns, CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn suggested that while the Knicks may “hate to trade him,” Randle could realistically be used as “matching salary” in a trade for a new star.
“Randle’s two-time All-NBA status would seemingly make him a valuable trade asset… but back-to-back poor playoff showings limit his appeal. The Knicks want to land a star, and the matching salary they send out will likely depend on what kind of player they get back. If they acquire a top big man? Randle almost has to be in the trade, as he makes little sense alongside a better power forward or center,” Quinn wrote.
57 POINTS.
Julius Randle was SPECIAL tonight.
He became the fourth @nyknicks player with 55+ points and the FIRST with 55+ points and 8+ threes… MIN tops NYK in a thriller at MSG.
Julius Randle put forth one of his best seasons during the 2022-23 campaign, as he sported career-high averages in points (25.1) while also posting 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. With his efforts, he managed to nab both his second All-Star and All-NBA nod along the way.
Still, regardless of his production, Quinn still believes that, for the right replacement, the Knicks should consider parting ways with their current cornerstone.
Knicks Urged to Swap Julius Randle for Zion Williamson
One popular route that has been taking the media circuits by storm recently is a proposed transaction by Jeremy Brener of Fan Nation that, essentially, would see a swap of Julius Randle for New Orleans Pelicans star, Zion Williamson.
The meat of his proposed trade reads as follows:
New York Knicks receive: Zion Williamson and Garrett Temple
New Orleans Pelicans receive: Julius Randle and Evan Fournier
Brener would continue on to note that the two reunions created by this transaction between former teammates Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram with the Pelicans and Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett with the Knicks could prove to be both entertaining and quite beneficial for several reasons, while he would describe the trade as a whole as one that “works for both sides.”
“Temple’s contract is nonguaranteed for the upcoming season, which means the Knicks can cut ties with him after the trade if they wish with no cost against them. Ironically, this trade would reunite Randle with former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Brandon Ingram while putting Williamson on Barrett’s side once more. Randle also spent the final season of his pre-Knicks career in New Orleans during the 2018-19 campaign. Trading for Williamson is an undoubted [gamble] for the Knicks, especially with the top pick’s injury history (29 games over the last two seasons) but also allows them an opportunity to rid themselves of Fournier’s contract. For the Pelicans, it gives them a fresh start without Williamson and an opportunity to re-tool around Ingram with Randle beside him in the frontcourt,” Brener wrote.
Of course, it goes without question that, when healthy, Zion Williamson is one of the top players the NBA currently has to offer, and his career averages of 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 60.5% from the field and 34.3% from deep only strengthen this sentiment.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the power forward, injuries have become synonymous with his professional career to date, as he has played in just 114 out of a potential total of 308 regular season games since entering the league back in 2019.
Nonetheless, many feel as though taking a chance on his upside when health aliments are at bay could be a move well worth making for the Knicks, and reuniting the former Duke standouts in Williamson and RJ Barrett and teaming them up with budding star guard Jalen Brunson could prove to be a great core trio for New York.
Knicks ‘Not in a Position’ to Trade Julius Randle
Though the concept of trading Julius Randle this summer may be appealing to some fans and media pundits, the plausibility of such a transaction happening seems to be rather low.
That’s what one anonymous league executive told Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney, at least, as they stated that even with his top-notch production on the year, the big man’s value on the trade market is still a bit underwhelming.
“They are not in position to trade Randle because there’s no way to get value for him,” the executive said. “They have found a way to get him to be really productive with what they do. But that does not really translate to a lot of other teams. So that is always going to work against them if they were to move him. But they have not had those conversations in a long time, and he has three years left on the contract (the third year is a player option) so it is something where he is not going anywhere for a while.”
Obi Toppin is a name to watch on the trade market, per @SBondyNYDN
“A source said Toppin was frustrated at times with his role, although he refrained from complaining to the media.”
(Via t.co/BRm86K3MTD)
Of course, this news not only will be upsetting to hear for fans but also possibly for Randle’s own backup Obi Toppin, who, per recent reports by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, has grown “frustrated at times with his role” on the Knicks as a result of seeing minimal playing time as a result of being blocked on the depth chart behind New York’s All-NBA forward.