Getty Julius Randle drives to the basket against Milwaukee.
The New York Knicks have the assets to land a star this offseason, putting them in a position to make a trade on draft night on June 26. Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report created trades “that make sense” for each team on draft day. In his Knicks’ proposal, they’d land Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers for Julius Randle and more.
Knicks would get: George
Clippers would get: Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, Miles McBride, No. 24 pick in 2024 draft, No. 38 pick in 2024 draft, 2025 first-round pick (via MIL; top-four protected), 2026 first-round pick
“Without an extension in place for Paul George, the Clippers need to consider all their options,” Hughes wrote on June 25. “They can’t allow PG to walk away for nothing in free agency if he declines his player option, and with certain former MVPs not-so-subtly making eyes at George in public, the Clips should also view the threat of his departure as very real.
“George doesn’t bolt and sign with the Sixers in this scenario. Instead, he uses his leverage to work a trade that lands him on a more stable (and recently successful) East team.”
‘Growing Feelings’ Around George Picking up Player Option
George has been in trade rumors over the past few weeks as the 34-year-old nine-time All-Star can either pick up his $48.8 million option for next season or test the free-agency market if he opts out.
According to Marc Stein of Substack, “there’s a growing feeling” that George will pick up his option and force the Los Angeles Clippers to trade him.
“There is a growing feeling leaguewide that the 34-year-old picking up his $48.8 million player option for next season to force the Clippers to trade him is an increasingly realistic scenario after months of fruitless contract extension negotiations between the parties,” Stein wrote on June 24.
“The Clippers appear unwilling to offer a richer deal to George than Kawhi Leonard received in January ($150 million-ish over three seasons) and that has encouraged teams out there to make trade pitches for the All-NBA swingman.”
If that happened, the New York Knicks could facilitate a trade for the California native.
Is Trading Randle for George Worth It?
The New York Knicks will have to determine if trading Randle for George is worth it as they look to win a championship.
While Randle, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, has played well, George has statistically been the better player over his career. Randle only played in 46 games in the 2023-24 season due to injury, but was named an All-Star and averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. However, he shot just 31.1% from 3-point range on 5.3 attempts per game.
George played in 74 games last year, averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He was much more efficient from 3-point range, shooting 41.3% on 7.9 attempts per game.
Randle’s struggles have come in the playoffs, as he averaged just 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in the 2022-23 playoffs. His efficiency was a big issue, shooting 37.4% from the field and 25.8% from 3-point range.
Paul has averaged 21.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in his 114 career playoff games. While his efficiency has been down in his playoff career, he’s still been more efficient than Randle, shooting 42.3% from the field and 35.2% from behind the arc.