New York Knicks Receive: Russell Westbrook, 2026 First-Round Pick (Swap – LAL) 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Julius Randle, G/F Evan Fournier

Sure, many observers expect the Lakers to find a means to swap Westbrook and draft picks for Kyrie Irving. We left the Nets out of this trade altogether.

Instead, we invited their New York counterparts to the table.

Assessing Randle’s fit alongside LeBron James is difficult. That’s because he was an outstanding three-point shooter in 2020-21, and a horrible one in 2021-22. To paraphrase Eminem, won’t the real Julius Randle please stand up?

Regardless, he’s likely to be a better fit than Westbrook. He’s been a poor three-point shooter throughout his whole career. Meanwhile, Evan Fournier arms the Lakers with another component floor-spacer to support LeBron James.

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If the All-NBA version of Randle shows up, this deal could make the Lakers contenders in 2022-23. With that said, if he can even split the difference between his performances over the last two seasons, they’ll be better than they were this year.