The New York Knicks acquire a young, reclamation project
While Julius Randle has been a great scorer and small-ball center for the New York Knicks, he is most certainly not a Tom Thibodeau kind of player.
The Knicks under Thibs are more than likely going to be all about defense and if Leon Rose and the front office staff have anything to say about it (which they do), they are also going to be a 3-point shooting team also. Julius Randle while a talented player, isn’t a strong defender, he can’t shoot 3’s and would be vastly overpaid for the role in which the New York Knicks would use him going forward.
In other words, there is a decent chance the New York Knicks move on from Julius Randle sooner rather than later. So, what can they get for Randle?
Well, the Knicks are after the 3-point shooting, floor spacing, and defenders, while also potentially maintaining cap flexibility in case they want to chase stars in free agency in the Summer of 2021.
Few teams in the NBA are capable of offering all of the above. The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the few. Both Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green fit perfectly with what the Knicks want to do going forward.
In Kyle Kuzma, you have a young prospect with all-star potential who has struggled to live up to the lofty expectations he set during his rookie season. Having said all of that, Kuzma has improved leaps and bounds in many areas.
He is an ever-improving defender who has been consistent this season in staying in front of his man and interrupting the shot. He is an improving passer who is capable of collapsing the defense and dishing the ball to a teammate for an easy basket. This time last year, Kuzma would have gone full hero ball and took the shot himself.
While his 3-point shooting is pretty bad, he is more than capable of scoring from the 3-point line and has made some big shots for the purple and gold this season from 3. He is a 20-point-per-game player waiting to happen but with Anthony Davis starting at power forward and LeBron James at small forward, there is no way Kuzma is a starter for the Lakers anytime soon.
Danny Green is the ideal player the Knicks want. A 3-point shooting sniper, a great help defender, an elite transition defender, a veteran who has won championships, and is a fantastic teammate.
Green would be a great mentor to a player like RJ Barrett. In Julius Randle, the Lakers would get a small-ball center who gives them more versatility in terms of the different styles of play they wish to play. Right now the Lakers have JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, Markieff Morris, and Anthony Davis all capable of playing the center position.
Davis prefers to play power forward, Dwight could be gone in free agency, Markieff is also a free agent, and JaVale has proven himself in the playoffs to be a liability.
Julius Randle would offer the Lakers security at the center position whilst also having some key attributes that the Lakers love in a big man. There are two things that Randle brings to the table that would put a smile on the Laker’s face. Rebounding and passing.
Being a formers Laker draft pick, the purple and gold know very well what Randle is capable of. With Randle, the Lakers would be able to maintain their rebounding advantage they have had over teams whilst also adding a player who has been able to average 20 points per game over the last two seasons.
A valuable trait that Randle has is his passing, especially out of the post. Randle, can get double teamed and fire the ball to an open teammate for 3. There are weaknesses to Randles’s game that the Lakers won’t love. The 3-point shooting is a problem but compared to JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard who doesn’t shoot the 3-ball, having Randle who can potentially make a 3 could be useful.
Randle is a willing defender but just not a good one. Maybe with Frank Vogel and co., Randle can step it up on defense and be useful on that end of the floor but you wouldn’t rely on that happening.
The Knicks probably get the better deal in this scenario but with the Lakers being title contenders, they will be capable of restocking the roster with a shooter to replace Danny Green and a floor-spacing big to replace Kyle Kuzma.