Knicks Trade Rumors: Pros and cons of trading for Julius Randle

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t expected to re-sign Julius Randle. Should the New York Knicks attempt to trade for Randle before he becomes a free agent?

The New York Knicks are approaching a date that will alter the landscape of the NBA. In roughly two weeks, a vast majority of the players who were signed to contracts during the 2017 offseason will be eligible to be traded.

For as intriguing that may be, there may already be a trade target who offers more reason for intrigue than anyone who signed this past summer: Julius Randle.

Randle was selected at No. 7 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, but it doesn’t appear as though the Los Angeles Lakers will extend his stay beyond 2017-18. Eligible for restricted free agency in 2018, Randle appears to be the odd man out with Larry Nance Jr. and Kyle Kuzma commanding minutes at power forward.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, it’s unlikely that Randle will be playing for the Lakers after the 2017-18 season.

"“One player whose future is very unlikely to continue with the Lakers is Julius Randle, their third year forward.”"

Wojnarowski may be the most reliable force in sports reporting, which makes this report as close to the gospel as possible.

If Randle is going to be on his way out of Los Angeles, it stands to reason that a team will attempt to trade for him. The Knicks may or may not be the ideal fit, but it’s worth exploring whether or not a trade is worth looking into.

The question is: Should the New York Knicks propose a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers for 23-year-old power forward Julius Randle?