More Trades for the Knicks this Year?
The New York Knicks pulled off the biggest trade of the year so far in the NBA this past week. They traded two young players to the Toronto Raptors who had not yet blossomed into what they thought would be at this point, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, for another young but solid player, OG Anunoby.
OG Anunoby was a talented scorer and defender for Toronto on the wing that many teams were rumored to be looking to acquire. The Knicks made it happen and it arguably puts them in a much better spot to compete this year. Although, many people believe that the Knicks are not done making moves. Let’s look at what else they could be cooking up.
Donovan Mitchell Trade
For the past few years Donovan Mitchell has been linked to the Knicks. New York is always after a star and they haven’t had a name as prominent as Mitchell probably since Carmelo Anthony. Mitchell would come at a steep price but he could be on the move. With less young assets now after trading Quickley and Barrett, it could prove tough to make a deal happen.
One deal that could land the star would be to ship Julius Randle to Cleveland. Randle has been up and down in his time with the Knicks but it seems that right now his stock could be as high as ever. If the Knicks want to move on from him, Cleveland may be interested in Randle for a possibly disgruntled Mitchell.
Landing Lauri Markkanen
The Utah Jazz look like they are rebuilding. They are even rumored to be willing to give up their young star, Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen may be one of the best available players on the trade market and swapping Randle for him could be enough for the Jazz, if picks are also involved.
Giving Utah Randle, a ton of picks, a nice young player they just acquired in Precious Achiuwa, and taking on a bad contract in Colin Sexton may be a good deal for both sides.
Keeping Randle but Getting Better
The Knicks may be able to keep Julius Randle and land a former All Star without giving up too much of their talent from their current team. That player they could target is Nikola Vucevic who is injured for the time being but is being outplayed by his backup, Andre Drummond, while he has been missing games. His value might be at the lowest it has ever been.
New York could deal three young but rarely used players who have some promise in Malachi Flynn, Precious Achiuwa, and Isaiah Hartenstein, plus picks for Vucevic. This deal would bring in the former All Star Vucevic to make a potential contending team this season in the Eastern Conference.
By Jack Stradley, I’m a sports writer always looking for a gripping story and a hot take.