A trade that would see Julius Randle return to Los Angeles
Some of the pieces in this trade are very similar to the previous one, however in this proposal, the Knicks are exchanging a different power forward with the ‘City of Angels.’
At the end of the day, it comes down to what the Knicks value. If this ended up being a more realistic form of the trade, it would mean that Leon Rose wants Obi Toppin to be an instrumental part of the rotation, meaning that he’d be getting rid of the best Knicks forward since Carmelo Anthony to prove that.
In a situation like this, Julius Randle could very well be used to make new Clippers GM Trent Redden more willing to trade PG. Randle is not only five years younger but has been a two-time All-NBA player over the last three seasons.
As I mentioned in the last trade, Marcus Morris Sr. has demonstrated lots of frustration with his role on the Clippers, so it would be realistic for the team to sacrifice a player who hasn’t been available that much for a player like Randle. Up until the very end of the season when he sprained his ankle, Randle was ready to win the “award” for Knicks Iron Man.
Derrick Rose remains in the package to make the money work and Washington’s first-round pick also stays in the deal because the Knicks have three of them in 2024. They can keep it protected, and if the organization wants to obtain George, it’s easy to figure they’d throw it in as a sweetener.