Dallas Basketball Roundtable: Debating Mavs-Knicks Trade Idea

After putting together a fantastic offseason that included a sign-and-trade for future Hall-of-Famer Klay Thompson to join forces with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Dallas Mavericks appear to have a complete roster as they look to defend their Western Conference title.

However, not everyone thinks the Mavs should be content going into the 2024-25 NBA season. On the latest episode of The Lowe Post, ESPN's Bobby Marks, who is a former NBA front office executive for the Brooklyn Nets, proposed the idea of the Mavs trading P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford–two key pieces from their NBA Finals run last season–to the New York Knicks for DFW native Julius Randle.

Our Dallas Basketball staff gathered to discuss the hypothetical deal.

Lance Roberson : "What in the world? No wonder the Nets made bad trades when Marks was the general manager. This is a no-brainer deal for the Knicks but a no-go from the Mavs' side, in my opinion."

Jonah Kubicek : "Regarding this hypothetical Knicks/Mavs trade, is it really a 'no-brainer' for NYK? Seems like the Knicks wouldn't be too eager to part ways with Randle, even if his durability is a concern."

Roberson: "His playoff numbers aren't impressive, and the Knicks would save money in this deal, but I get it. I don't want to bash him, but he hasn't done anything of note in the playoffs."

Kubicek: "I'm just not convinced the Knicks make that deal, and I think Dallas takes it right away if they get that call. You can bash (Randle), it helps prove your point, but he was also the only All-Star on those Knicks teams pre-Jalen Brunson, and Brunson was barely an All-Star."

Dalton Trigg : "I strongly disagree, JK. I personally wouldn’t trade PJ and Gafford for Randle if I were the Mavs. I could see the Knicks declining that deal, but the Mavs don’t need another guy who needs the ball to be the best version of himself."

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Kubicek: "It’s not a good deal for either team. Randle needs the ball in his hands to make himself valuable. I’m still not sure it’s a 'no-brainer' for the Knicks, though."

Trigg: "I just know how strongly the Mavs' front office feels about PJ and Gafford, and I think I know how they feel about Randle’s play style while also acknowledging his talent. I'm sure they’d take Randle if the Knicks were giving him away in a salary-dump deal, but the Knicks won’t do that."

Kubicek: "Yeah, Marks was off-base when he suggested that trade, for sure. Neither team is in a situation right now where a massive trade makes sense."

Roberson: "Yeah, because the Mavs would have to add another player to their roster after that deal, unless the Randle deal is a multi-team trade. Killing the Mavs' depth would be a costly decision."

Trigg: "The formula for maximum Luka success has been to surround him with shooters and rim-running bigs. For what it's worth, I personally like Randle a lot. I just don’t think it’s a good fit for what the Mavs are trying to do. He does always seem to kill the Mavs when he plays them, though."

Kubicek (jokingly): "The Mavs should trade for him so they don't have to play against him in the NBA Finals!"