If the New York Knicks pull off a trade for Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers may come in and engage them in trade talks for Julius Randle.
At least that is what a “plugged-in” source has told NBA insider Marc Stein, who also noted that the Lakers would not have any issue taking on the $117 million contract Randle signed with the Knicks in 2021.
“A very plugged-in person in the league told me… If Donovan Mitchell were to end up with the Knicks, there could be talks between the Knicks and the Lakers involving Julius [Randle],” Stein said on Spotify Live, via Legion Hoops and as corroborated by multiple accounts.
This is not the first time Stein has linked the Knicks and Lakers for a potential Julius Randle trade should Donovan Mitchell head to New York. As he also shared on Spotify Live previously, the ‘Bockers will be motivated to shed some salary if they land the explosive Jazz guard, and Randle is someone the Lakers could be interested in since they need depth at the frontcourt positions.
Marc Stein on Westbrook to the Knicks rumors:
Said if they get Mitchell, teams think they’d move off Julius Randles contract
He’s been led to believe Julius Randle & his contract would be someone the Lakers would take a hard look at
All this is hypothetical rn tho pic.twitter.com/aEgnfWTOkV
— 🌟Fake (@LALeBron23) July 19, 2022
The Knicks are the favorites to land Mitchell, thanks to a treasure trove of picks and young players they can trade. However as things currently stand, no deal is imminent between New York and Utah, with the Jazz reportedly engaging other teams for their superstar.
With that said, it seems unlikely LeBron James and the Lakers will be talking about Randle with the Knicks anytime soon. For now, the focus of the Purple and Gold is likely to be on Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving.
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