I want to preface this by saying I am quite high on Julius Randle and believe he is incredibly more valuable than people give him credit for. In an ideal world, the Knicks would instead be trading a package consisting of any of Bogdanovic, Robinson, and/or McBride to make this happen, however, due to the new 2nd apron rules, they are unable to aggregate players to match salary, leaving them with fewer options. I still firmly believe Mikal Bridges is the perfect piece for this team, and in Randle's absence, both OG and Achiuwa filled the role well with Hart also playing small ball. Also, I believe there are several good options in this draft around the mid-20s that can fill that PF role (Tyler Smith, Kyle Filipowski, DaRon Holmes) or SF role (Ryan Dunn, Tristan De Silva, Terrence Shannon Jr. pending results of trial) to complete the roster. This move and draft slightly resets the team, extending their championship window by at least an extra year or two. This allows them to bring back OG, Hartenstein, and Achiuwa, giving them a starting 5 of Brunson-DiVincenzo-Bridges-OG-Robinson with a bench rotation of McBride-Hart-"Rookie or Free Agent"-Achiuwa-Hartenstein. As a Knicks fan, I would be ecstatic about this move and confident it increases our championship chances.

For the Nets, although I think it is clear to most of the league it is time for a rebuild, they are determined to stay competitive. I don't blame them as they still have an excellent team of role-players who can support a star-level player role that Bridges unfortunately couldn't fulfill. Although I don't believe Randle is that player either, he is an all-star, elevating this team significantly with his production. This allows Thomas the chance to become the #1 option and the star scorer he can be, with a solid team built around him as they also bring back Claxton and Lonnie Walker. To sweeten the deal for the Nets, they get a draft pick in this draft which they don't currently have, their second back next year, plus another first. This would create a starting lineup of Schroeder-Thomas-Johnson-Randle-Claxton with Simmons-Walker-"Rookie or Free Agent"-Finney-Smith-Sharpe off the bench. I think this is a no-brainer and would instantly make them a legit threat in the east, but wouldn't be surprised if the Nets are steadfast on keeping Bridges to attract a superstar such as Donovan Mitchell or Trae Young/Dejounte Murray.

I am curious to know your thoughts! What would you change? Who wins here? Let me know in the comments below!