Best Julius Randle trade destinations if Knicks move on

If the Knicks were to trade for a star this summer, their best shot at landing one could come at the expense of the Clippers. That’s because Paul George has yet to sign an extension with the franchise he chose back in 2019. He has a player option for next season he can choose to accept or decline and become a free agent.

That option gives George a monumental amount of leverage. The Clippers do not have control over any of their first-round picks until 2030. The first-rounders they do have can be swapped with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a result of the trade that got George to Los Angeles in the first place. The Clippers simply have to re-sign George; losing him outright for nothing cannot be an option for them.

If George wants to leave, the best course of action for him and LA would be opting in and requesting a trade. The market for him would expand and the Clippers would be able to get players and picks back for him.

That’s where the Knicks come in. New York has an excess of three first-round picks in their arsenal in addition to all of their own. They can realistically send 3-4 firsts along with Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic to make a trade work. The Clippers get an All-Star caliber player and multiple firsts in return for George instead of losing him for nothing.

Randle could help the Clippers ,too. They badly need a bowling ball of a driver to put pressure on the rim and that’s what he does to a tee. It would be devastating to lose George, but nabbing Randle would be the best-case scenario if that were to happen.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies can empathize with the Knicks’ run of bad injury luck. An NBA record 33 different players suited up for Memphis this season. To put that in context, NBA teams carry 18 players including three two-way guys. The Grizzlies cycled through nearly two full rosters in one season.

At least for their troubles, Memphis was rewarded with the ninth pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. With little separating players from one to 10 in this year’s draft, that pick should land the Grizzlies a good player. But Memphis has aspirations to win now. They won 50 games a year ago and were expected to come close to that mark this season before injuries crushed those hopes.

Randle could make a difference for the Grizzlies. He’d add some much-needed size on the interior next to Jaren Jackson Jr. defensively and on the glass. Offensively, he’d provide more creation and rim penetration than they’ve had outside of Ja Morant. The Grizzlies could really use the offensive variety Randle would provide them.

The Knicks probably would want a veteran player in return for Randle. Perhaps Marcus Smart and the ninth pick for Randle and the 24th and 25th pick would satisfy all parties. Regardless, Memphis is an intriguing fit for the New York forward and has the goods to make a deal happen.