Getty Julius Randle dribbling.
With the assets to get a deal done for a superstar-level talent, the New York Knicks have some tough decisions to make this offseason. If they were to land a new star to pair with Jalen Brunson, a trade would likely have to happen due to cap space. Searching for that star, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report listed the Knicks as a “surprise” landing spot for LeBron James, but they’d have to move Julius Randle in the process.
“New York won’t have the cap space to sign James outright unless he took a major pay cut, which means he’d have to pick up his $51.4 million player option and convince the Los Angeles Lakers to trade him to the Knicks.
“The Knicks could build a package around Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanović and Miles McBride to get them close to James’ salary, giving the Lakers a balance of young and veteran talent back in return,” Swartz wrote in his May 31 article exploring “surprise landing spots” for five NBA players. “They also have two first-round picks in this year’s draft, as many as four in next year’s draft and all of their own first-rounders moving forward, which they could use to sweeten their offer.”
LeBron James’ Agent Calls Him a ‘Free Agent’
James has a player option with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $51.4 million this offseason. Agent Rich Paul made an interesting comment about the Lakers star, saying he’s a”free agent” when asked about the team’s head coaching search.
“Look, LeBron is a free agent,” Paul said when asked about the Lakers’ coaching search. “I gotta focus on his business, and let the Lakers hire whoever they hire. He’s always shown up and played for whatever coach is there.”
Rich Paul: “LeBron is a free agent.”
… but LeBron currently has a pending player option. Interesting slip up from his agent. 👀
(via @ChrisBHaynes)
If the New York Knicks were to land James, unless he was willing to take a pay cut, it’d be by an opt-in-and-trade.
Calling him a free agent could be a tactic to put pressure on the Lakers front office to make moves that James wants. However, he does have that pending player option that leaves some uncertainty around his future in Los Angeles.
Should the New York Knicks Move Julius Randle for James?
While James has put together arguably the best career in NBA history, owning the record for the most points scored of all-time, winning four championships, being named an All-Star 20 times, and much more, he’s going to be 40 years old in December of the 2024-25 season.
However, his production in 2023-24 proved he could still play at an elite level, averaging 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He was named to an All-NBA team again, earning a spot on one of the three teams for the 20th time in his career.
Randle’s only 29 years old and had a respectable season before he was sidelined with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He played in 46 games and averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. His efficiency was in question, shooting 47.2% from the field and 31.1% from three-point range.
James’ shooting splits were on par with what he’s done in his long NBA career, shooting 54.0% from the field and 41.0% from three-point range.