Denver Nuggets Receive: F/C Julius Randle, F Randy Bullock

New York Knicks Receive: G Gary Harris, DEN 2022 1st Round Pick (Lottery-Protected)

The top three players in the frontcourt for the Denver Nuggets are Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap and JaMychal Green, but both Millsap and Green are not in the Top-3 on the team in rebounding. So far this season, Denver is a bottom five rebounding team in the league and as a result, they have not started the season the way they had hoped.

Adding a player like Julius Randle could not only help them with rebounding, but he is a three-level scorer who has solidified himself as the New York Knicks’ best player this season. To be honest, he is a lot like Paul Millsap early on in his career but is a little more versatile than Millsap was. 

Being able to join Denver and play alongside Paul Millsap could do wonders for Julius Randle and help make him an even better player. Not to mention, he and Jokic also share a lot in common being two big guys who can score, rebound and distribute the ball. 

While he is more than capable of being the best player on a team, as he has proven with the New York Knicks, Julius Randle can thrive as the third or fourth best player on the Nuggets, especially given the shooting talent they have. With Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola Jokic all being high-level scorers, Randle could come in and not only be a facilitator for when Jokic is off the court, but be the main option in the second-unit. 

Randy Bullock is an interesting name added to this trade and he could also have an impact on the wing for the Nuggets. Over the course of his 7-year career, Bullock has averaged 7.0 points per game and 38.3% from three-point range. Having a veteran player to turn to on the wing for immediate shooting off the bench could be extremely valuable to Denver in their pursuit to make it back to the Western Conference Finals. 

For the Knicks, Gary Harris is a great “3-and-D” player and could really help the Knicks young backcourt. Harris himself is only 26 years old, but carries a lot of experiences with him and could help this younger team a lot given his defensive tendencies. He made a name for himself being a great one-on-one defender and given that he is a reliable catch-and-shoot player, he could have a role with New York moving forward with R.J. Barrett as the leader of the team.

Let’s take a closer look as to why this trade makes sense for both the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks.