Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks reacts during the second half against the Utah Jazz.
As the 2022-23 season continues to churn on, it becomes more apparent that the New York Knicks as currently constructed are designed to be a middling .500 team and, thus, should strongly consider making some shakeups to work their way out of NBA purgatory.
Perhaps the most popular hypothetical method amongst both the media and fanbase is by means of trade, and, just recently, the folks at Bleacher Report concocted a deal involving the Miami Heat that, in their eyes, would not only “save their season” but could also set them up to make more moves down the road.
The proposed transaction reads as follows:
New York Knicks receive:
- Duncan Robinson
- Dewayne Dedmon*
- Caleb Martin*
Miami Heat receive:
- Julius Randle
- Svi Mykhailiuk
- Randle, Detroit’s 2024 second-round pick
(*Dewayne Dedmon can’t be traded until Jan. 15; Caleb Martin can’t be traded until Dec. 15.)
As writer Dan Favale would suggest, the biggest luxuries for the Knicks in this trade would be the offloading of Randle’s $82.8 million left on his deal and the acquisition of fifth-year sharpshooting forward Duncan Robinson who, considering his specific skill set, is viewed as a nice complementary fit for New York’s rotation.
“Taking on Robinson’s contract isn’t ideal, but his annual number is manageable enough to use as filler in other trades as his agreement ages out, and he represents pure, unadulterated three-point volume at his peak—something New York very much needs,” Favale wrote.
Duncan > Dunkin’
As things currently stand, the New York Knicks rank 24th in the league in field goal percentage and 28th in 3-point percentage.
Robinson, a career 40.2% long-range sniper, would automatically come in and be viewed as the team’s top-billed shooting threat from beyond the arc, as only one of their current core players in Obi Toppin boasts a conversion rate north of 35% (35.1% on the year), while Martin (career 37% shooting from deep) and even Dedmon (shot 40.4% from distance last season) could also come in and help in this area of the game.
All things considered, if Leon Rose and company were to reach the point where they were hell-bent on just trying to offload the remaining three years left on Julius Randle’s deal, a move like this could, in theory, make quite a bit of sense to pursue.
However, as Favale even alluded to in his piece, such a move would be far more complicated than how it may appear when simply written out on paper.
Robinson Provides Very Little for Knicks
While Duncan Robinson has shown himself to be a tremendous shooting threat in this league, throughout his career he has proven to be capable of providing very little else, which has been one of the main reasons why the highly-priced forward has fallen from a regular starter to a low-usage reserve role now in 2022-23.
Time and time again the 28-year-old has proven himself to be a mere one-trick pony — a non-isolation shooter who thrives in catch-and-shoot scenarios.
tie ball game
Particularly when it comes to the defensive side of the ball, Robinson is an absolute net negative, as he sports a defensive rating of 113 and a defensive box plus-minus of -0.7 for his career.
Taking all this into account, and adding in the fact that he is still owed $74.3 million over the next four seasons, this proposal has no business being considered by the front office for the New York Knicks any time soon.
Say what you will about Randle, but at the very least he’s a multi-faceted talent who can impact the game in numerous ways (scoring, rebounding, facilitating, etc.) and, over the last three seasons, has posted averages of 22.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and just shy of a steal on 35.5% shooting from the floor.
Cam Reddish Wants Trade from Knicks
Per a December 7 article penned by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, it was reported that Cam Reddish and his representatives are working with the Knicks to find a trade out of New York after it was announced that Tom Thibodeau would not be including him in the team’s regular rotation.
Knicks and Cam Reddish’s reps working toward trade after team’s failure to find a role: source
When asked about his feelings on being taken out of the team’s rotation, the former lottery pick stated that, though he’s disappointed, ultimately he has to accept that he has “no control over it.”
Cam Reddish on no longer being in the rotation: “I guess that’s just how it goes..I got no control over that. I just come to work everyday, just like y’all. Do my job & hey man, it’s just the result.” Also said he’s not sure why he was pulled and that he didn’t request a trade.
Through 20 games played in 2022-23, Cam Reddish has posted averages of 8.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and just shy of a steal.