2 teams that should take a chance on a Julius Randle trade

As the New York Knicks are seemingly not able to replicate their success from last season, the rumors around the storied franchise are starting to heat up. The offseason signings of Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker did not exactly do the trick. Walker is in-and-out of the rotation and while he had some great moments, the overall picture is not looking too well. The case of Fournier is very similar, as he has also had great moments but did not do well overall. When the dip in the play of Julius Randle is added to the mix, rumors about possible trades are going to be a guarantee. The latest one concerns directly Randle, who might be on his way out. Thus, let's look at two teams that should take a chance on a Julius Randle trade.

Julius Randle Trade Suitors

Portland Trail Blazers 

One of the teams that disappointed their fans the most is definitely Portland. The Blazers have been a playoff regular the last couple of seasons, but this one will be tough. They are sitting at 21-28, good enough for 10th in the Western Conference. While they are still in the play-in tournament, they are far away from securing that spot, with the Spurs, Pelicans, and even the Kings possibly taking a run at their place. With Julius Randle in their squad, however, the Blazers might have a shot.

The general understanding is that the Knicks will only trade Randle for the right package. With that in mind, the Blazers would need to give up at least one first-round pick for the All-Star forward. However, that would also provide them with a chance to trade away Jusuf Nurkic in a good deal, since he is on an expiring contract and they need to get some value. Nurkic was playing well in the last couple of weeks, so his value is probably up there with Randle, who is having a down season. With the Blazers in dire need of a shake-up, Randle might be what they need.

With Randle, the Blazers have a great offensive inside presence. With Nurkic, they had that as well, but Nurk is not the offensive weapon Randle is. They would be losing some defensive stability, but with teams like the Blazers, that are sliding hard in the standings, the shake-up that was mentioned above is worth it. It is completely correct that Randle is nowhere close to his season last year. He is down in efficiency, scoring, rebounding, and other important parameters. However, with a change of scenery, Randle might be on his way to return to last season's form.

The Knicks would do this deal because of cap flexibility, primarily. Nurkic is an expiring contract and if the Knicks like him enough, they can keep him at the end of the season. If they decide not to, they can blow it up again and go for a different route for their squad. With Randle, they are tied into a deal for a lot of money for the next three seasons guaranteed, with a possible fourth if Randle takes the player option. Clearly, they do not fully believe in their project with Randle there, so it might be the move to do.

Milwaukee Bucks 

The Bucks might not be a conventional candidate, especially due to their cap situation, but they need to be in the conversation. With a big three in Brooklyn, and the Western teams stacked to the max, a team like the Bucks might not have a chance, if everyone is healthy. Of course, that is an unusual statement, simply because the Bucks won the championship last season, but the circumstance of their win was that a lot of teams in the West and in the East had major injuries. With Randle there to complement their squad, however, the Bucks could boast another offensive weapon to combat the stacked competition.

There are a few issues with Julius Randle coming over to the Bucks, as there with any trade in the world. Firstly, he is not shooting the ball at a great clip, either from the field or from three-point land. The spacing of the Bucks would take a big hit, especially since the trade would need to be for at least Brook Lopez, the only big man on the squad that can consistently hit threes. Secondly, with Randle's deal, the Bucks are going on all-in on their squad as is, because all of their contracts would be big and long-term.

However, having one more athletic offensive player on the squad might be an intriguing look for the Bucks. With Randle, the Bucks can run even better and their inside offense would not rely simply on Giannis Antetokounmpo's drives. The downside of Lopez is that, while he hits three's, he does not do much in the paint, and it is a similar story for the rest of the roster, outside of the Greek Freak and Bobby Portis. With Randle, the Bucks will have more chances for easy points inside the paint, and those are incredibly important in a playoff setting.

Once again, while there are flaws, the Milwaukee Bucks should be on the phone to the Knicks about Julius Randle. They would have a very stacked team and coach Mike Budenholzer is good enough to make it all click, on both sides of the ball. Randle could be utilized in many different ways and it would make the Bucks much stronger in any potential playoff or finals matchup, right away.