The New York Knicks have gone from cobbling together former Kentucky Wildcats to Villanova players.
The tried-and-tested chemistry of former national champions at Villanova — Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo — are leading the shorthanded Knicks deep into the postseason even without four key players, including three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons has a three-team trade idea that would complete the ‘Nova Knicks trading Randle for Brooklyn Nets’ Mikal Bridges. But a straight-up trade is unlikely as the Nets have not made a trade with the Knicks since they moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Their last trade was in 1983.
Simmons’ solution is a three-team trade to break that barrier between the Manhattan and Brooklyn boroughs by involving the Atlanta Hawks, whose general manager Landry Fields is a former Knicks player.
The Hawks just won the lottery which gives them the option to rebuild around the No. 1 pick.
“Is there a way Trae Young could go to Brooklyn and Bridges could go to the Knicks and then maybe Randle and picks go to the Hawks? Or there’s some sort of arrangement where everybody’s happy which leads to the second question,” Simmons said on his podcast “Bill Simmons” on May 14.
Are we even sure the Knicks want to trade Randle? Do they look at what’s happened in the playoffs and say to themselves, ‘Man, if we’d have Randle, we could have made the [NBA] Finals.’ But I think they do like Randle more than most. But I just liked the idea of Bridges with the Villanova [Knicks].”
The Knicks were 12-2 in January with Randle, Brunson and OG Anunoby in thei lineup.
Betting on Julius Randle’s Future After Major Injuries
For the second straight postseason, Randle is injured. And this time, he couldn’t play despite trying his best to dodge a season-ending surgery to repair his dislocated shoulder.
Without Randle, the Knicks, led by their Villanova trio, made it to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. If the Knicks continue their ascent without Randle, they will face a pivotal question this summer.
Randle is extension-eligible this summer at $190 million for four years max. If the Knicks do not extend Randle this summer, he will enter the third and final guaranteed year of his current $117 million, four-year deal. He has a $32 million player option for the 2025-26 season when his body, which has endured three major surgeries as of now since he entered the NBA, turns 32 years old.
If he’s healthy next season and becomes an All-Star or All-NBA player, he could be eligible for a five-year deal worth more than $300 million in free agency if he opts out of his $32 million player option, according to Forbes.
That is going to be a massive bet for the Knicks for a 32-year-old power player whose body will begin to decline.
Mikal Bridges is Younger and Fits Knicks’ Timeline
Bridges is two years younger than Randle and is under a team-friendly contract. Bridges would only be 29 by the time his current $90 million, four-year deal is up after the 2025-26 season.
But on top of that, Bridges already has that chemistry and championship pedigree with Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo.
“I was talking to a Knicks fan about how special those three guys are together,” Simmons said “And they’ve talked about it about how you win a title like that. And it could be in high school, it could be [expletive] college, wherever it is like the connection and the chemistry you have, it’s just completely different. There’s trust and confidence those three guys have and reps with each other. That’s really special.”
It is also one of the major reasons why the Knicks have become a must-see TV.
“It’s fun to watch Brunson, but it’s also really fun to watch those three guys and Brunson is kicking out to DiVincenzo just moving to this spot in the corner and Brunson doesn’t even have to look over,” Simmons continued. “He just knows exactly where he’s going to be. It’d be like how cool would it be, how awesome would it be to put Bridges in there? It’s like the fourth guy who thinks like those guys. So, if I’m the Knicks, that’s what I go after. It’s like ‘How do we add Bridges to this?’”
However, Simmon’s three-team trade doesn’t work cap-wise. The Nets had to add another salary. Veteran point guard Dennis Schroder fits that bill and would welcome a return to Atlanta to fill in Young’s shoes.
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