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The New York Knicks swung a huge trade for Mikal Bridges this offseason, bolstering the supporting cast around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. Brunson's place in New York is locked in but Randle may be on the move at a certain point if things don’t work out.
New York values Randle immensely but it feels more and more like he's on the verge of becoming an odd man out. His playoff track record isn’t great — though his last postseason was marred by injury and he didn’t get the chance to play with the improved roster from last season — and it may lead to New York using Randle in a trade for an upgrade if that doesn’t change.
However, Randle's trade value is not nearly as high among other teams as it is for New York, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Katz writes the following: “Here’s what makes discussions about hypothetical Randle trades so difficult: I don’t believe there is a team in the NBA that would value the three-time All-Star more than the Knicks do. I texted this question to someone who works in a rival team’s front office and received an answer I expected: ‘Neutral, at best,’ the person said.”
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Julius Randle's trade value doused with cold water
Randle, who is up for a contract extension soon, is a flawed star in many ways, notably in his erratic, slow decision-making on offense. But he rebounds the ball very well and attracts attention from defenses and helps his teammates become more efficient. Bridges offers him another strong shooter to feed and receive floor spacing from.
Still, opposing teams being hesitant to trade for Randle makes some sense. Unless he makes strides as an off-ball scorer or defender, his role on a team seems to only be as a leading option on offense. That lack of scalability makes him less appealing, even if he could become one of the best players on the trade market if the Knicks make him available. A team that lands him will either disrupt its established pecking order or give Randle a smaller role with fewer on-ball reps. His recent injury history certainly doesn’t help his price, either.
The Knicks are early in their lives as a playoff contender so they don’t have to ditch Randle right away if they don’t go on a deep playoff run this season. But the clock is still ticking.
