NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks contemplate trading Julius Randle to acquire Utah Jazz star
The New York Knicks have been a struggling franchise for a long time. Prior to the NBA season restart in the Orlando bubble, New York Knicks were at 12th position on the Eastern Conference points table and as per experts, there is no real hope of improvement anytime soon. Though they have constantly failed to attract any superstar free-agents in the past few years, there are some NBA trade rumors floating around that might bring the fans some respite.
NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks ponder trading Julius Randle
After failing to land Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving last season, The New York Knicks signed Julius Randle on a 3 year, $ 62 million contract. The 25-year-olds numbers for the season might seem impressive at first. Averaging 19.5 points and 9.7 rebounds, he has had the best numbers on paper among his teammates. But frustration has been growing among the New York Knicks fans about Randle's playing style.
For a 6 ft 8" power forward, Julius Randle spends too much time handling the ball. He was also accused of creating spacing issues for their center Michell Robinson. New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett had also supposedly accused Julius of taking too long to pass the ball. All these concerns have led the Knicks to consider trading Randle this offseason to create some cap space.
Utah Jazz's Mike Conley a probable trade partner for New York Knicks
According to some NBA trade rumors, Utah Jazz's Mike Conley is being linked as a target for the New York Knicks. Getting the veteran point guard will help the young Knicks' roster with some much-needed experience.
For Utah Jazz, getting rid of Mike Conley's expensive contract might create some space to sign another star player. Conley has a salary of $34.5 million next year before he becomes a free agent. The Knicks might even get some draft considerations along with Mike Conley for bearing his costly salary.
While Mike Conley might be a good addition for the Knicks team, it's just a temporary fix. The Utah point guard is 32 years old and his performance this year has been mediocre. But this experiment might help clear up cap space for the New York Knicks before the 2021 free agency, the year when a lot of market free agents are up for grabs. Whether or not any of the top stars agree to come to Madison Square Garden, well that's a story for another day.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Zach LaVine to return to T'Wolves, Chris Paul on his way to Milwaukee?