Knicks Trade Idea: Send Randle Back to NOLA for Zion Williamson?

The New York Knicks could make a splash and trade for New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.

Zion Williamson may have played his final game with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Longtime NBA analyst Bill Simmons mentioned the continued trade rumors surrounding Williamson on his podcast, remarking that there's a decent chance of him being dealt ahead of Thursday's NBA Draft.

“The Zion thing is a real, real, real, subplot," Simmons said. "I had somebody tell me yesterday—that I trust—that he will not be on [the Pelicans] by Thursday.”

Williamson has been connected to the New York Knicks for a while, as 2019's No. 1 overall pick has discussed in the past how much he would love to play at Madison Square Garden. Many expected the Knicks to hold the top pick in that draft after a brutal 17-win campaign but they fell to the third choice in the lottery where they took Williamson's Duke teammate RJ Barrett instead. 

"New York is the Mecca of basketball," Williamson said during a visit to New York back in 2021. "I love playing here. I played here in college, and this is my first time playing here in the pros. This atmosphere, whether they’re cheering for you, whether they’re booing for you, it’s amazing. Honestly, I think outside of New Orleans obviously, I think this might be my favorite place to play, outside of New Orleans. I can’t lie to you."

If the Pelicans are looking to trade Williamson, the Knicks have a strong case to serve as an ideal second venue.

Williamson's five-year, $193 million extension begins in the 2023-24 campaign, meaning the team that acquires him in a trade will have to be ready to pay that. The Knicks could afford such a contract if they shed some salary.

While New York doesn't have a 2023 first-round pick to offer New Orleans, a trade of Julius Randle and Evan Fournier for Williamson and Garrett Temple works for both sides. Temple's contract is nonguaranteed for the upcoming season, which means the Knicks can cut ties with him after the trade if they wish with no cost against them.

Ironically, this trade would reunite Randle with former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Brandon Ingram while putting Williamson on Barrett's side once more. Randle also spent the final season of his pre-Knicks career in New Orleans during the 2018-19 campaign.

Trading for Williamson is an undoubted gamblee for the Knicks, especially with the top pick's injury history (29 games over the last two seasons) but also allows them an opportunity to rid themselves of Fournier's contract. For the Pelicans, it gives them a fresh start without Williamson and an opportunity to re-tool around Ingram with Randle beside him in the frontcourt.

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