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The New York Knicks saw their 2022-23 campaign come to a bitter end last week via a Game 6 Eastern Conference Semifinals defeat against the surging Miami Heat. Now, Leon Rose and company will look to build off their season successes by making smart and strategic moves during the upcoming summer months.
What said moves could wind up being, at this point, is anyone’s guess. However, considering his oft-public claims of being dissatisfied with his role on the Knicks, one Eastern Conference general manager told Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney that the front office could, in theory, look to include big man Mitchell Robinson as an asset in a ‘bigger’ offseason trade package.
“They have felt out the market on him because he is an old-school kind of center—good rim protector and rebounder, but he does not want to shoot past three or four feet and he’s not much of a passer. The Bulls had some interest but it’s doubtful that would come back up. Dallas, too, but again, there just are no pieces that match up. There is not much of a trade market out there for him, so he is their guy. They could move him along if it is part of a bigger package, though,” the anonymous executive told Sean Deveney.
Robinson has drawn ample attention for his off-court antics on several occasions throughout this year’s campaign, as he has publicly criticized the way in which the Knicks have gone about using him within their scheme.
During their sit-down, the east executive did suggest that such an occurrence is rather common for bigs in the NBA, telling Deveney: “If every big guy in history who thought he is not getting enough touches got traded, you would not have a center ever last more than two years with any one team.”
With this, the GM suggests that Mitchell Robinson’s gripe will likely not spark a hell-bent desire by the Knicks to try and offload him anytime soon, though the idea of adding him as a sweetener in a larger exchange this summer could certainly be on the table.
Julius Randle Being Recruited by 8-Time NBA All-Star
Julius Randle has received a significant amount of heat for his role in the Knicks’ ultimate playoff demise, as many have pointed to his inefficiencies as being a major catalyst in New York’s second-round ouster.
The big man’s production has been panned to the point where ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith publicly stated that he hopes to see Randle move on from the franchise this summer.
Should this happen, and the All-Star ends up looking to move on from the Knickerbockers, former NBA All-Star and current Taoyuan Leopards center Dwight Howard is shooting his shot at trying to recruit Julius Randle, along with other eliminated NBA stars to join him in the Taiwanese men’s professional basketball league, T1 League.
“Jordan Poole, come on. Julius Randle, come on… Ben Simmons, come on man. Ain’t nobody beating us,” Dwight Howard said.
Despite his postseason struggles, Julius Randle is coming off of one of the best seasons of his NBA career this past year, as he finished with impressive per-game averages of 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 45.9% shooting.
With his efforts, he would go on to capture both his second All-Star and All-NBA selections.
Jalen Brunson Excited for Future With Knicks
In just his first season with the organization, Jalen Brunson managed to serve as the long-awaited answer to New York’s point guard woes while also helping guide the team to their first postseason series win in a decade.
Now, as he preps for year two of his Knicks tenure, the 26-year-old has expressed excitement for what could be coming as they look to build off their 2022-23 successes.
“New York has been amazing and the fans have been amazing. It’s been a really great experience for myself and my family. I’m already excited about next year. It’s going to be fun. We have a lot to prove to each other as teammates,” Jalen Brunson said during his Game 6 post-game media session. “This was a great year for us… Obviously, we didn’t end the season the way we wanted to but [we have to] keep working on our game, keep gaining confidence, as [players] and as teammates and as we move forward we just gotta keep sticking together like we did this year.”
Jalen Brunson capped off his first year in the Big Apple with averages of 24.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.5% from deep and managed to up his production to even greater heights during the Knicks postseason run, as he posted 27.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
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