The Knicks are still focused on the Donovan Mitchell trade, but if that deal happens, New York could quickly make another trade involving the Lakers.
Possibly the worst in the NBA right now is that the New York Knicks want to be the team that wins the Donovan Mitchell Trade Lottery. The organization has made no secret of its interest, and while the teams wait for the trading market to return to normal, it is clear that they are waiting for the strike to be able to strike a deal with the Utah Jazz.
However, less talked about is what the next step for the Knicks could be if they can move Mitchell to the Big Apple.
As it turns out, the next move could include the Los Angeles Lakers. This weekend, NBA insider Mark Stein reported that Los Angeles would likely “get engaged” with the Knicks about a deal for Julius Randle as the Lakers would be interested in getting an advance in a long-term deal for big money.
NBA trade rumors: Lakers could trade for Julius Randle if Knicks go down with Donovan Mitchell
Of course, there’s a little irony about Los Angeles’ Randle’s presence since he was initially a first-round pick by the Lakers in 2014, but the team reclaimed his rights after the 2017-18 season, which led to his signing. With the swans before landing with the Knicks.
With that said, Randle is a decisively – albeit still imperfect – better player than he was at that point in his career. And as Los Angeles continues to look for ways to maximize the title window in the latter stages of LeBron James’ career, Randle is a versatile piece that can definitely help the cause.
What will be interesting to see is how aggressive the Lakers are in that deal. They’ll likely be looking to add Russell Westbrook to a deal to cancel his albatross contract, but that could also mean emptying an already barren asset fund to get the Knicks to take that money.
At the same time, though, landing New York Mitchell with a core that includes RJ Barrett and others would provide them with some luxuries and a desire to accumulate capital in any way, which would do a trade with Los Angeles that includes Randle.
Several reports have suggested that the NBA trade market will take some time to normalize as the star asking price is astronomical at the current juncture thanks to Rudy Gobert’s trade. That might make things go slow for the Knicks, but if they can get Mitchell eventually, they’ll probably be more than willing to wait.
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