Getty Julius Randle attempts a shot against the Utah Jazz.
The New York Knicks are loaded with first round picks to land a star this offseason. With Julius Randle’s contract and those first round picks, they could put themsleves in a position to be in the mix for anyone who becomes available. In a proposed trade from Owen Stiftar of Bleacher Report, the Knicks would land Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen for Randle and more.
Knicks would get: Markkanen, worst swap of 2027 first-round pick
Jazz would get: Randle, 2024 first-round pick, best swap of 2027 first-round pick
“But if you’re the Jazz, you get at least a one year rental in Julius Randle. He can be a nice mentor for Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, of course. some of the other pieces, like John Collins off the bench,” Stiftar said. “And then you also get some draft capital, right? At least one unprotected first and a pick swap here with New York.
“If you’re the Knicks, you get some much needed shooting. He’s not neccessarily a Tom Thibodeau player in Lauri Markkanen, he’s not really a great defender, right? But he’s going to give you that much needed spacing in an offense that now , once Randle went down, they changed kind of to a four-out-one-in kind of scheme offensively. He can be that perfect pick and roll, pick and pop partner for a guy like Jalen Brunson.”
Markkanen, the 2022-23 Most Improved Player, would likely be sought after by many teams due to the leap his game has taken over the past two seasons.
Lauri Markkanen’s Trade Value
The one issue for the New York Knicks if they were interested in trading for Markkanen is his trade value. While Randle has the argument to be the better player, being a three-time All-Star and making two All-NBA teams, Markkanen is two years younger and has put up similar scoring numbers the last two seasons.
According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, Markkanen’s value is a star-level player and four or five first round picks.
“In a big picture, Markkanen’s value to the Jazz is so great that it’s going to take an offer that is probably not going to come to pry him from the Jazz. Something like four or five first-round picks, and a star-level talent coming over,” Jones wrote on May 3. “Markkanen is a 7-footer who shoots 40 percent from 3-point range on volume.”
If that’s the case, the Knicks have enough to get the deal done in terms of draft picks, but that’d be a huge price to pay with Randle attached.
Markkanen a ‘Perfect Fit’ for the New York Knicks
Markkanen is one of those plug and play stars who could fit on any team. His fit with the New York Knicks is ideal, as he’s a 7-footer who can stretch the floor. A two-man game with him and Jalen Brunson would be one of the best in basketball as he’s also someone who can take the basketball to the hoop at a high level, too.
Robert Zschoche of Give Me Sport’s wrote that Markkanen “would be a perfect fit” for the Knicks.
“Markkanen would be a perfect fit at the power forward spot for the Knicks and would give them a three-level scorer they desperately need,” Zschoche wrote on May 22. “Randle is currently their second option, and Markkanen provides the exact same skill, but is much better and more efficient at it.”
Only 27-years-old and getting better each season, the All-Star would give the Knicks a dynamic duo for much of the next decade.