Potential Trade Destinations for Julius Randle: LA or Toronto?

Last week we debated the pros and cons of the Knicks holding onto Julius Randle and then detailed why trading Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns would be a mistake. 

However, Towns surely won't be the only name attached to the Knicks in a potential swap involving Randle this summer. If New York is willing to move Mr. Randle, what possible locations might make sense? 

Today, we'll examine hypothetical deals with Los Angeles and Toronto. First up, the City of Angels… 

🏀 Knicks send Julius Randle and Evan Fournier 

To the LA Lakers for

Rui Hachimura (sign-and-trade), Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie and a first-round pick

There's been a lot of talk about the Lakers' future and what they might look for this summer after they were eliminated by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals earlier this week. To me, it's pretty clear they need a star who can carry the load during the regular season. LeBron James will turn 39 later this year (no, I don't think there is any chance he retires). Anthony Davis is infamously injury-prone. LA needs a regular-season stud they can rely on from October through May, so they can adequately manage the minutes allocated to LeBron and AD.

Is there anyone better suited for that role than Randle? While he's struggled mightily in the playoffs, Randle (who started his career with the Lakers) has been a beast in the regular season. He's been an All-Star and made the All-NBA team in two of the past three years. Dating back to the start of 2020-21, Randle is one of only three players in the league to tally at least 5,000 total points, 2,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. The other two players in this club are Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. And Randle ranks second in total minutes played. The dude shows up and helps deliver regular-season wins, which is precisely what the Lakers need. When the playoffs roll around, Randle can take a back seat to LeBron and AD. 

The question for New York is how much they value Hachimura. An enticingly talented and versatile combo forward, Hachimura was selected by the Washington Wizards as the ninth overall pick out in the 2019 NBA draft. After an All-American campaign at Gonzaga, Hachimura averaged 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game as a rookie for the Wiz. Yet, Washington was unsure if they wanted to commit big money to him this summer, and because he was on the verge of restricted free agency, they shipped him to the Lakers for just the expiring contract of Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks. 

However, he dramatically boosted his value in the postseason. Rui poured in 29 points (on 11-o-f14 shooting) in a series-opening victory over the Grizzlies and followed that up with another 20-point effort in Game 2. Over the final four games of the Western Conference Finals, Hachimura averaged 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 made three-pointers. The most impressive aspect of Hachimura's postseason production was his remarkable efficiency on the offensive end. Over LA's 16 playoff games, he shot 55.7% from the floor, 48.7% from downtown and 88.2% from the free-throw stripe. 

Because of Hachimura's free-agency status, he would have to agree to a sign-and-trade to complete the swap. That presents a whole slew of different questions. How much will he command on the open market? How much are the Knicks willing to pay? The other factor from the Knicks' perspective is how they feel about Obi Toppin. Do they believe Obi is ready to handle additional responsibilities and playing time?