NY Knicks: Why a Julius Randle for De’Aaron Fox trade is worth revisiting
By Allen Settle
Does this trade make sense for Sacramento?
This question is trickier to answer. The Kings seemingly found their power forward of the future when they traded for multi-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis in a deadline deal with the Pacers.
It’s difficult to imagine a frontcourt-heavy lineup featuring both Randle and Sabonis. However, there may be evidence to suggest the pairing could work.
Sabonis’ best career success came alongside another skilled big in Myles Turner during their time in Indiana. While there are differences in Turner’s and Randle’s skills, particularly defensively, Sabonis does have a background working well with frontcourt talent.
Basketball-Reference shows that Randle has played 79% of his games at forward and 21% at center. Sabonis on the other hand has been a forward 45% of the time and center the remaining 55%.
While it would lead to defensive questions, there is a world where Sacramento could employ a weaponized frontcourt with Randle at power forward and Sabonis at center. This would be a massive improvement over incumbent starter Lyles. It’s also a move that would give Sacramento an additional All-Star caliber talent.
The Kings would also have newly acquired Donte DiVincenzo to man one guard position, as they turned their attention to a reset around a new guard via the draft or free agency.
While it may not be a traditional play, this move would also allow a stagnant Kings team a fresh start as they bet on Randle to recapture his 2020 form after a change in scenery. Plus when have the Kings ever been traditional?
Conclusion
The path to a deal is less clear than it was at the February trade deadline. However, for the reasons listed above, the Knicks would be wise to field a phone call to Sacramento GM Monte McNair to gauge whether a reset for both franchises would be in each team’s best interest.
New York should consider such a trade as a victory.
