New Blockbuster Three Team Trade Proposal Sends Julius Randle To Miami, Terry Rozier +Duncan Robinson To Atlanta

Could the Knicks look to trade Julius Randle to upgrade their team?

Jan 27, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket as Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) and forward Haywood Highsmith (24) defend during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The NBA offseason is at a standstill and teams are getting ready to report to training camp. The rosters that teams have are the ones that they are likely going to take into the season and any big moves that could happen will likely have to wait until the trade deadline. While guys like Lauri Markkanen (who can't be traded now) and Brandon Ingram have dominated the trade rumors for the better part of the last month, Knicks foward Julius Randle is now the hot name on the trade market due to him not having signed an extension since he became extension eligible on August 3rd. The Knicks could trade Randle to add more pieces around the core of Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges. Because Brunson took a team friendly deal, the Knicks still have a large salary slot that they could fill by trading away Randle for more immediate help. The Knicks could use a center and more depth, but is there a trade out there?

It is quite difficult to put a Randle trade together due to the new CBA restrictions, but you could bring in a third team to try and help facilitate things.

Two teams that could look to shake things up are the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat. The Hawks made one big move by sending Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for a trade package centered around Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, and two first round picks. Even after that, there are still rumors out there wondering if the Hawks would trade Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, or Nance to continue reconfiguring their team around Trae Young.

The Miami Heat are a team that has not done much this offseason. They lost Caleb Martin to Philly and did nothing to replace him and it feels like Miami's window to win is starting to shrink a little bit. Could they make a move to try and win big in the next couple of years?

Let's look at a hypothetical trade that could make sense for all three teams.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Receives: Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Mitchell Robinson

Knicks Receive: Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, 2025 1st round pick (Via Sacramento, protected 1-12), 2026 2nd round pick (via LAL), and a Top-10 protected 2029 1st round pick from Miami

Miami Receives: Julius Randle, Larry Nance, Keita Bates-Diop, and Garrison Matthews

Why Atlanta does this trade: Capela is an expiring deal and the Hawks might want to move on from Hunter. If so, they would get quality depth right here. Rozier could handle the backup point guard duties if Kobe Bufkin is not ready or cannot stay healthy, Duncan Robinson provides shooting to a team that really needs it, and Robinson (if healthy) could provide Onyeka Okongwu with a good backup who is cheaper than Capela. The Hawks don't take on any contracts longer than two seasons and they stay under the luxury tax for the upcoming year.

Why Atlanta does not do this trade: Does this trade really make them better? Robinson and Rozier help with shooting and would bring offense off the bench, but they are disasters defensively. The Hawks have to be better on defense if they want to get back into the playoffs and this does not do that. Robinson is unreliable and if he went down with another injury, Cody Zeller might have to play a lot of minutes as the backup which won't end well. Atlanta also has a big hole behind Jalen Johnson at power forward. The Hawks need shooting, but this would be at the expense of wing depth and defense, things they need. Because they are short on picks, they might not want to move a potential 1st round pick.

Why New York does this trade: The Knicks have a big hole at center and it could derail this team that has a lot of promise. Capela is not what he was two or three years ago, but he would give the Knicks defense and rebounding and be a good fifth starter. Hunter gives them more wing depth and he played well off the bench last year. The picks they get from Miami help replenish the lost draft capital from the Bridges trade. Capela is an expiring deal so the Knicks still have more space after this year. Randle does not seem to have a robust trade market and this might be the best they can do.

Why New York does not do this trade: While Capela is going to help this year, does this make the Knicks better in future years? While Robinson has had trouble staying healthy, Capela was injured last year too and Hunter has had trouble with injuries since being drafted in 2019. The picks are nice, but the Knicks are a team that wants to win now. Does this deal make them better than Boston or Philly? You could argue they are better off keeping Randle.

Why Miami does this deal: The Heat seem to be falling behind and you could argue they are clearly worse than Boston, Philly, New York, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Orlando heading into the year. Pat Riley and Miami don't make desperate moves, but this team seems like it either needs to go all in with Jimmy Butler or start to make moves to prepare for the future without him. Randle might not be a perfect fit on this team, but it does inject talent into their lineup. Nance gives them reliable depth at center behind Adebayo. Matthews can replace Robinson's shooting abilities.

Why Miami does not do this deal: This trade probably does not vault Miami into contender status with Boston, which is all that probably matters to them. Do the Heat want to give up more draft picks and put their future in more jeopardy?

Let me repeat, this is a very unlikely trade and there has been no reporting linking these three teams, but you could see the reasons why any of the three sides could find interest in this deal and how it could make their teams better. At the end of the day, I think there is too much downside for all involved for any deal like this to happen.