Pro: Controlling The Market
The rational response to any trade speculation is that the New York Knicks could simply wait until free agency to sign Julius Randle. The Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to re-sign the former Kentucky Wildcats star, which means New York could potentially sign him without losing assets.
With Randle preparing to enter restricted free agency, however, the ability to control the market is an undeniably appealing proposition.
By trading for Randle, the Knicks would thus acquire his restricted free agency rights. That would enable general manager Scott Perry to match any contract offer that Randle receives, which creates leverage on multiple levels.
That all starts with the fact that New York wouldn’t lose Randle to another team unless it determines the contract offer he receives is too high to match.
The other form of leverage includes the fact that New York wouldn’t have to pay Randle more than the market demands. In other words: It wouldn’t have to overpay Randle in order to pry him away from another organization, as many believe it did with Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Atlanta Hawks.
Throw in the fact that acquiring Randle’s bird rights would help the cap-strapped Knicks sign him long-term, and a trade becomes easier to stomach.
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The question is: Will the New York Knicks take a chance on Julius Randle before the 2018 NBA trade deadline comes and passes?