ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith wants the New York Knicks to trade away Julius Randle after the team lost Game 4 to the Miami Heat on Monday night.
Smith had a passionate response after Randle fouled out of Game 4 and didn’t show supreme effort in the loss. The loss gave Miami a 3-1 series lead over New York, with the series shifting back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5.
“I think they should trade him,” Smith said of Randle. “If you can get your hands on somebody like — yeah, I said it.”
Smith doubled down, saying that he’d like the Knicks to trade Randle for a player like Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, who Smith believes is a more talented player come playoff time.
While Randle is a more durable player, something Smith noted, he doesn’t seem sold on Randle in the playoffs. The ESPN analyst also mentioned Damian Lillard as a player that he’d like.
“Do you know what I would give to get my hands on Damian Lillard?” Smith said.
Randle’s effort in Game 4 was the most concerning thing for the Knicks, as he failed to hustle back on defense on a play in the first quarter and lazily closed out on Kevin Love in the first half on a 3-point attempt.
Late in the game, Randle then overcommitted on a closeout against Caleb Martin, allowing the Heat forward to get an easy dunk at the rim.
While Randle’s numbers for the game were solid (20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds), it wasn’t enough for New York to get the win. Randle also turned the ball over six times, which helped Miami come away with some easy baskets, as seen in one of the plays above.
Smith is clearly frustrated with the two-time All-Star, but the Knicks would not be in this position if it wasn’t for Randle’s play.
This regular season, he appeared in 77 games for the Knicks and averaged 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. His production has dipped in the playoffs, but he still is a big reason why New York is in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
It will be interesting to see how the Knicks handle Randle’s future following their playoff run this season.