Zach Randolph is a name coming up a lot in trade talks because he’s an expiring $11.7 million contract that could help a team clear some cap space next summer. Randolph has yet to set foot on the court this season in Sacramento, a healthy scratch all season as the Kings go with younger (and at this point, better) players.
Enes Kanter has seen his role shrink as the Knicks have focused on youth, and he’s not happy about it. He’s also an $18.6 million expiring contract.
Could those teams just swap problems? They are discussing it, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
New York and Sacramento discussing an Enes Kanter-Zach Randolph trade of expiring contracts, but nothing close yet, league sources tell ESPN. Kings would want to send out more expirings in a deal. A third team could be helpful.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 9, 2019
This trade doesn’t make much sense straight up.
Technically a Kanter for Randolph deal works because the Kings are one of the few teams with cap space left, so they could just absorb the nearly $7 million difference in the contracts. Except, the Kings are saving that space to take on a bad contract from some team and get an asset — probably a pick, first round or early second — to do so. The Knicks are not going to throw in a pick just to move Kanter, he comes off the books after this season anyway. That’s why the mention of a third team.
Maybe something comes together, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
Just some speculation: Could someone around the Knicks have leaked this in a “see Kanter, we’re trying to make you happy and move you” kind of way? A show of good faith even if this deal isn’t likely to happen?
