New York Knicks Receive: C Steven Adams, F Ziare Williams, 2022 First-Round Pick (No. 22 – UTA)

Memphis Grizzlies Receive: F Julius Randle

The Memphis Grizzlies have a maddening clean cap sheet. There are no bad contracts on their books. Trading for Randle (or a comparably paid player) will be impossible unless they’re willing to part with Adams.

There’s reason enough to believe the New York Knicks wouldn’t want him. As we said, they’d be triggering a rebuild with this deal. Why would they acquire a 28-year-old role player?

Well, we could have tried to swing for a three-team trade, but we couldn’t imagine Thibodeau letting Adams slip through his hands. He provides many of the qualities the coach has historically valued. This is still good rebuilding value for the Knicks.

After all, Ziare Williams flashed some star potential in his rookie season with the Grizzlies. He’s exactly the type of shot-creating wing that many teams covet in 2022. The 22nd pick in the upcoming draft would be icing on the cake.

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Hopefully, the Knicks use it wisely. The next time they’re ready to win, they’ll be hoping to make the playoffs for multiple seasons in a row.