Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks heads for the net as Avery Bradley of the Los Angeles Lakers.
After failing to acquire Donovan Mitchell via blockbuster trade this summer, as the All-Star guard was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on September 1, the New York Knicks are now left looking for another route to embark on.
Though to some, the simplest plan would be for the franchise to simply set their sights on the upcoming campaign with the foundation that they currently have in place, many believe that Leon Rose and company could still be open to making a splashy transaction before the team’s October 19 tip-off.
Perhaps the most popular idea amongst both fans and media pundits alike is for the Knicks to pursue a trade that would ship out power forward Julius Randle and the remaining four years, $117 million left on his current contract, and, for some time now, the Lakers have been pegged as an ideal partner to make such a deal happen.
Considering their eagerness to part ways with their own overpaid former star in Russell Westbrook, coupled with their desire to add on more complimentary talents to their championship-aspiring rotation, many have viewed Los Angeles as an ideal landing spot for Randle in a possible blockbuster.
However, it is believed that the ultimate goal for the Knicks, or any other team for that matter, is to acquire draft capital in the event that they take on the point guard’s $47.1 million price tag for 2022-23 and, according to a September 7 report by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, Rob Pelinka may not be all that willing to oblige.
“As of now, competing executives aren’t sure the Lakers will send away one future first-round pick, let alone two, to get out of Westbrook’s contract unless the return package substantially improves the team,” Pincus wrote.
Without the incentive of draft capital coming back in return, it’s hard to believe that the Knicks would be open to the idea of executing a trade that sends out a player just two years removed from his first All-NBA nod and receiving the NBA’s Most Improved Player award for a fellow fallen star who’s six years older and will earn about $27 million more this upcoming season.
Randle Trade Could Improve Lakers
As mentioned, Pincus noted that Los Angeles may not be willing to ship out draft picks in a Westbrook deal if it doesn’t involve a return package that “substantially improves the team,” but there’s an argument to be made that a trade with the Knicks involving Randle could wind up falling into such confines, and one proposal, in particular, could do exactly that.
In an article published on September 8, SNY’s David Vertsberger concocted a blockbuster idea that would involve both the power forward and Evan Fournier being shipped out to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Westbrook and two future first-round picks.
Now, even with just one pick involved, this deal could still be seen as a no-brainer idea for New York, as they would be ridding themselves of a total commitment of $162 million through 2026 while bringing in draft capital along the way.
However, for the Lakers, this proposal by Vertsberger could be quite beneficial for them, as they’d be adding on another play-maker and scoring threat in Randle to the roster (has averaged 22.1 points and 5.6 assists over the last two years) while also improving their 22nd-ranked floor-spacing game with Fournier (boasts a career 38.1% three-point shooting clip).
In theory, with this transaction new head coach Darvin Ham could find himself rolling out an opening night lineup of Patrick Beverley, Evan Fournier, LeBron James, Julius Randle, and Anthony Davis which, at least on paper, has the makings of being a truly menacing two-way unit.
Hornets an Option for Knicks
Outside of Los Angeles, another popular trade partner for the New York Knicks in the event of a Julius Randle trade is the up-and-coming Eastern Conference squad, the Charlotte Hornets.
Considering their vacancy at the starting power forward position coupled with their own undesirable contracts that they’d like to rid themselves of, Charlotte could be a realistic suitor for the big man.
With Randle in the mix, budding superstar point guard LaMelo Ball would land a running mate who over the last five seasons has been a 20-plus point per game scorer while the franchise would essentially be “buying-low” on a player who finished within the top-10 of the league’s MVP race just two years ago.