NBA Rumors: Knicks May Gamble On Randle, Worry About Durant Later

The New York Knicks may need to look at other players with uncertainty looming on their original targets. Questions surround the viability of pursuing an injured Kevin Durant and tied up to that is the feasibility of trying to lure Kyrie Irving in Gotham. From the looks of it, the Knicks need to find a big man to first before proceeding to other key personnel.

One player that the Knicks could consider pursuing is Julius Randle. The former Kentucky Wildcat opted out of his deal with the New Orleans Pelicans and is expected to test the market this summer, the New York Post reported. The Pelicans could offer him something better although some believe he may be best off with another NBA team considering all the attention is no won Zion Williamson, the top pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.

So far, only one team has been singled out as a possible destination for the 7th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. This would be the Phoenix Suns, a team that has been prowling the market for your and promising cagers. As mentioned in a previous post, the Suns loom as a logical landing spot seeing how the 24-year-old big man and resident star Devin Booker are from Kentucky. So far, nothing has prospered although this could change starting June 30 when NBA free agency kicks off.

New York could benefit from Randle if they are able to initiate talks with the burly forward. With dreams of landing Durant still in the air, the Gotham City-based squad could initially try to go with the 6-foot-9 forward and sign him to a short-term lease. They could offer him something better than the $8.6 million deal he got from the Pelicans last year and up those numbers next NBA season if he unfurls the same credible performance during the 2018-19 NBA season. Randle averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds as a Pelican, -numbers that could provide Knicks head coach David Fizdale a big boost moving forward, Fansided reported.

The reason behind offering Randle a short-term deal is to determine if he can still improve his game. While he has gone great strides on offense, questions surround his ability to play good defense. It is one department New York needs to address heading into the 2019-20 NBA season. Also, the potential signing of Randle would become a yardstick as well to signing other free agent prospects - including Kyrie Irving who has been linked to several squads like the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers.