Trade Rumors: Knicks Shopping Julius Randle to Miami Heat - Newstbt.com

Rumors are swirling in Gotham that the New York Knicks are entertaining the idea of trading power forward Julius Randle to the Miami Heat.

Julius Randle of the New York Knicks took an off-balance shot during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the Knicks had a slow start to the season and are currently 6-7, Randle’s performance has caused them to look into trade rumors. The Miami Heat, who have gone 5-2 in their last seven games to pull themselves to 7-7, may be interested in Randle as a way to upgrade their front line. According to a report by Sean Devaney of Heavy Sports, the Heat are proposing a trade involving guard Duncan Robinson, center Omer Yurtseven, and rookie Nikola Jovic for Randle. It remains to be seen if the Knicks, who are embarking on a five-game road trip against Western Conference teams, will take the trade before they return to NYC before Thanksgiving.

An NBA executive has suggested that Julius Randle should have the Miami Heat on his radar, noting the team’s need for a power forward. “Miami is probably the big team that will be looking for a power forward and he would at least be interesting there with Bam and Jimmy Butler,” they said in a statement reported by @SeanDeveney. (@TheNBACentral, November 14, 2022). With the Knicks’ well-documented struggles defending the three-point line and an all-star duo leading the way in Miami, Randle could be an attractive option for the Heat.

Knicks Can’t Defend the Trey

The New York Knicks had their sights set on adding All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to their roster in a trade with the Utah Jazz, but they were outbid by the Cleveland Cavaliers who were able to make a blockbuster deal. However, the Knicks were still able to grab a strong point guard when they signed Jalen Brunson in free agency. Expectations were high going into this season, especially after the team had a 3-1 start, but their performance since October has been consistent with the old Knicks. Losing 3 of their last 9 games and boasting the 6th-worst scoring defense in the NBA (allowing 116.5 points per game), the Knicks are desperately searching for solutions. To add insult to injury, the team recently suffered an embarrassing defeat of 145-123 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on their own court in Madison Square Garden – a testament to the fall of head coach Tom Thibodeau, who was once considered one of the leading defensive coaches in the league.

With the NBA trending towards teams that are proficient in 3-point shooting and defending the 3-pointer, the current Knicks are performing quite poorly in both areas. This has sparked speculation that trading away Randle may be necessary to help turn the team around. The team shot 32.5% from beyond the arc this season, making it the third-worst in the NBA in terms of 3-point shooting. To add to the problem, the Knicks’ perimeter defense is horrendous, allowing 39.1 3-pointers per game, the highest rate in the league, with opponents hitting 14.1 treys per game against them, good for the second-worst mark in the NBA. Fans hope that trading away Randle will provide a solution to these worrisome statistics.

Another Randle Slump

Julius Randle had a career year with the Knicks during the 2020-21 season, shooting an impressive 41.1% from 3-point range and averaging 24.4 ppg. This led to the team reaching the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and creating hope of a deep postseason run. Randle’s ice-cold performance in the first-round elimination to the Atlanta Hawks was a far cry from the expectations. Fast forward to this current season, and there is a stark contrast to the Randle of last season. His 3-point shooting has improved, albeit slightly, to 33.3%, but he’s putting up only 20.8 ppg. His court movement has been described by The Athletic’s Knicks beat writer, Fred Katz, as ‘ping-ponging around the court’, leading to speculation that he has reverted back to some of his old habits.

For the second year in a row, the starting lineup is proving to be a challenge. The big-ticket player, Julius Randle, is struggling to live up to expectations, having just signed a four-year, $117 million contract. His current defense and lack of 3-point shooting are proving to be huge obstacles. With just 13 games in, the Knicks’ woes have already caused a lot of frustration for fans who are afraid of another long, dismal season if Randle is not traded. Could Obi Toppin potentially solve the Knicks’ woes?

Knicks Better with Obi Toppin Instead of Randle?

Since the start of last season, the Knicks’ second unit has often looked better than the starting five. The main reason for this has been that the ball moves more without Randle on the floor, which averts offensive stagnation that tends to take place when Randle dribbles the ball too much and fires off bad shots. With the second unit, this is usually not the case, and as a result fans at MSG have been voicing their displeasure at head coach Thibodeau for not giving rookie Obi Toppin more court time. Selected with the #8 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft from Dayton, Toppin has been averaging 10.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in under 18 minutes of playing time a game, while also shooting a career-best 40% from 3-point range. He had the chance to start ten times last season, and delivered in a big way in lieu of Randle, putting up 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and three assists per game.

Toppin showed exemplary shooting last season, having an overall percentage of 57.1% from the floor, and an impressive 43.6% shooting from three-point range. Last year’s season finale saw Toppin deliver an incredible career-high of 42 points.