Why This Trade Makes Sense For The New York Knicks

While Julius Randle is playing the best basketball of his career, the New York Knicks have to make a choice sooner than later about his future with this organization. He is under contract this season and then for the 2021-22 season, his contract is partially-guaranteed for $4M, making him a prime trade target for many teams around the NBA.

His value is not going to get any higher than it is now and if the Knicks do not see a future with Randle being involved long-term, they need to trade him now to get the most out of him. Getting an established and relatively young player like Marcus Smart, along with two younger talents in Romeo Langford and Grant Williams and  two draft picks in 2021 could be extremely beneficial, especially since this team’s main goal is to build a team through the draft.

Acquiring Marcus Smart not only gives the Knicks an experienced leader, but he is under contract next year as well and can help them make a legit playoff push moving forward. Not to mention, he is a great complimentary player that numerous All-Star talents would probably want to play with. 

For years now, New York has been trying to get superstar talents to sign with them in free agency, but no All-Star player wants to go to a losing team. By gaining key role players and assets and proving that they can win now, the Knicks should have no problem signing two max-contract players next offseason. 

This trade gives the Knicks plenty of possibilities on how to build their core of the future, which is exactly why it could make sense for them in the long run. Even after adding Derrick Rose, it wouldn’t hurt to have a better long-term fit in Marcus Smart. Having the draft assets and young talent to make a trade for a superstar-type player is what the Knicks need and this trade gives them these assets to do so.