Everything that could have gone wrong for the New York Knicks this NBA season has gone wrong and with season-long injuries to key players not helping them whatsoever, the Knicks will be missing the playoffs just one year after claiming the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference.
So much has happened with the Knicks this year, but quite honestly, we are just looking at a case of a team that did not get better compared to last season while everyone else around them did.
The Eastern Conference has been stacked with playoff and championship contending teams this season and while they were the 4-seed last season, the Knicks finished the 2020-21 season just 41-31.
They will likely be finishing with less than 41 wins this season and you can make the argument that their record last year would have been better if ten more games had been played instead of the shortened 72 game season due to the pandemic, but overall, the Knicks were almost an identical team this season to what they were last year.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Trade Targets For Knicks In Deal Involving Julius Randle
This is still no excuse though for their lack of consistent play and the lack of leadership on this team.
The Knicks have a lot of work to do entering the offseason and both team president Leon Rose and GM Scott Perry expected to be busy in regards to trying to turn this franchise back into a playoff contending team.
Trading away key secondary talents is definitely a possibility for New York to try and add another high-level talent, but it is also possible that they could explore the idea of moving All-Star forward Julius Randle.
Compared to last year, Randle has really regressed as the leader of the Knicks and it does appear that R.J. Barrett is emerging as the young leader for this team. Moving Julius Randle right now while his value is at an all-time high could open up new paths for the Knicks to go down, ones that could lead them back to the playoffs.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Trade Targets For Knicks In Deal Involving Julius Randle
Should Julius Randle hit the trade market in the offseason, his market is going to be a big question mark. Plenty of teams will be searching for All-Star-level talents, but will they be willing to take a chance on a $100 million-plus investment?
The Indiana Pacers could certainly be willing to take this risk, especially since they are looking to “re-tool” their roster instead of “rebuild”. Let’s take a look at what the Pacers could look to offer the New York Knicks for Julius Randle should the All-Star be put on the trade block.
