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The New York Knicks may need to turn to the Indiana Pacers to find their missing piece for next season. Following the Knicks’ elimination loss, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox floated Pacers star Pascal Siakam as a potential “name to watch” if New York looks to trade Julius Randle this offseason.
“Of course, if the Knicks are interested in spending big and in a position to do so, Paul George could reenter the equation,” Knox wrote in a May 19, 2024 story titled, “Examining Knicks’ Salary Cap, Decisions for 2024 NBA Free Agency After Playoff Loss.” “He has a player option with the Los Angeles Clippers and was reportedly a Knicks trade target last summer.
“… Indiana Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam could be a name to watch if the Knicks decide to move Randle in the offseason. However, a Siakam-Anunoby reunion in New York probably isn’t likely.”
NBA Rumors: The Knicks Would Likely Need to Pull Off a Sign-and-Trade With Pacers for Pascal Siakam
Siakam was one of the key reasons why the Pacers were able to top the Knicks to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The veteran topped 20 points in three of the final four games of the series.
Indiana acquired Siakam in a trade with the Toronto Raptors in January. The Pacers sent the Raptors three first-round picks, Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora as part of the deal.
Given Indiana gave up a lot to land Siakam, it is safe to assume the Pacers will be fighting hard to retain the forward this summer. Siakam is set to hit free agency after completing a four-year, $136 million deal this season. The forward had a $37.8 million cap hit in 2023-24.
The challenge for New York is the team is projected to be above the cap. The Knicks would likely need to orchestrate a sign-and-trade to have a chance at landing Siakam.
New York has their own free agents to try to re-sign including OG Anunoby (if the veteran opts out) and Isaiah Hartenstein. Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 38.6% from long range in 41 starts for the Pacers in the regular season following the trade.
Knicks Rumors: NBA Teams Are Keeping an Eye on Potential Trades for Julius Randle
Randle continues to be the biggest name mentioned in potential Knicks trade discussions. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that opposing teams are “monitoring” how Randle’s situation plays out.
“Julius Randle, he’s got a player option in 2025…Teams are monitoring this situation for sure, because how [the Knicks] handle that extension situation, if that is a conversation, what transpires, I think that will be interesting,” Charania noted on a May 20 edition of “Run It Back.”
How the Knicks handle Randle’s future will be an interesting case study. Randle still has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $117 million contract. Yet, there could end up being just one year remaining as Randle has a player option for 2025.
Randle is eligible to sign a contract extension this offseason. The Knicks had success while Randle was sidelined this season. It will be interesting to see if the Knicks explore potential trades for Randle rather than sign the star to an extension.
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