Laying out a Julius Randle trade
The New York Knicks have a small amount of flexibility to change the roster. They have room under the second tax apron to re-sign restricted free agent Precious Achiuwa, or to attach one of their remaining draft picks to Mitchell Robinson's contract; neither of those paths likely brings back a clearly superior starting center option, and in the case of trading Robinson leaves them thin at center after the fact.
To make a meaningful upgrade, therefore, the Knicks will need to trade Julius Randle. As a two-time All-NBA forward in New York, Randle holds a fair amount of value around the league, even if he is not seen as a true star worth sending a large package of picks and prospects for. Re-signing OG Anunoby and trading for Mikal Bridges would seem to set up an ideal pairing at the 3 and 4, begging the question of what role Randle has on the team moving forward.
If Randle is truly expendable - not as a throw-away, but as someone not crucial to the Knicks' identity of their team - then he represents the best path to adding a high-end starter at center. He makes enough money to land a player (or two) without taking back more salary than they are sending out. If the Knicks want to truly upgrade the position then trading Randle is almost certainly necessary.
That's why Sean Deveney at Heavy put together a trade with the LA Clippers that would send Julius Randle back to Los Angeles. After starting his career with the Lakers, Randle would now get to play for the Clippers, teaming up with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Here is the trade he proposed between the two teams:
The Clippers get a player who can be the third leg of their offense and operate both on the perimeter and in the paint. Their frontcourt depth is primarily all defenders and support players, and this trade would give them a significant jolt in firepower. It costs them their starting center in Ivica Zubac, a tough pill to swallow, but the Clippers may decide it's easier to replace a center than a player capable of scoring at the level Randle is.
Clippers coach Ty Lue would also be more open to playing Randle at center, something he did more frequently earlier in his career; Tom Thibodeau has been steadfastly closed to that option, preferring a rim protector at the 5. The Clippers also get off of PJ Tucker's money for this year, and would have the option of negotiating a new long-term deal with Randle to kick in next summer.
It's clear why the Clippers would make this deal, adding a recent All-Star without trading a single draft pick. Would the Knicks make this trade? To answer that question they first have to decide if they're ready to trade Julius Randle at all.