7) Julius Randle - New York Knicks
The New York Knicks don’t appear to miss Julius Randle too much as they make their way to the second round of the playoffs. Randle has not played since late January after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
He averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season, though his shooting dipped to 31.1% from beyond the arc.
The Hawks could choose a couple of routes. Perhaps Murray is of interest to New York.
It might take some convincing to get the Knicks on board. Their combination of Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart has been more than formidable, at least through their series with the Philadelphia 76ers.
They were a team linked to Murray. But they might not want to part with a key contributor in Randle and risk throwing off their roster balance.
If they are, the Hawks could land a three-level scorer and another ball-handling option.
Randle is entering the third year of a four-year, $117.1 million contract, and he has a $29.5 million player option for the 2025-26 season. The Hawks would be taking on money in the hypothetical deal above, and the risk of Randle opting out looms large.
That was a concern with many teams who were interested in Pascal Siakam before the Toronto Raptors traded him to the Indiana Pacers.
The biggest concern for the Hawks might be the possibility of stunting Johnson’s development.