How would Knicks fans feel about this 3-team Deandre Ayton trade?

on fire right now</a>, winners of eight straight games and up to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3064514/julius-randle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julius Randle</a> has been playing some of the best basketball of his Knicks tenure, averaging 25.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game over that span.</p> <p>The Phoenix Suns are in a different place. Once atop the Western Conference, the Suns have now lost six of their last 10 games. In their latest loss on Tuesday night, young center <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://www.nba.com/player/1629028/deandre-ayton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DeAndre Ayton</a> got into a shouting match with teammate Mikal Bridges, the latest negative data point in a bizarre and painful six months or so for Ayton and the Suns.</p> <p>One could say that the Knicks should lean into this win streak and continue to push forward with this core, but you could also point to this as the perfect time to sell high on Randle, an inconsistent player on a large contract. If so, could Ayton be a way to replace Randle&#8217;s offense in the frontcourt while opening up space at the 4?</p> <h2>Here&#8217;s a three-team trade where the New York Knicks would add Phoenix center DeAndre Ayton</h2> <p>The trade site Fanspo often posts example trades to Twitter, and this three-team deal stood out because of the names involved and how they fit with their new teams.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who says no to this three team deal? &#129300;</p> <p>Win-win-win? </p> <p>(via u/StraightShot on <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://t.co/EzrHobNIRt">https://t.co/EzrHobNIRt) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://t.co/hb8AROFTpA">pic.twitter.com/hb8AROFTpA

<p>&mdash; Fanspo (@fanspo) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://twitter.com/fanspo/status/1604524990597976070?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>December 18, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>Randle could pair with a stretch-big in Washington (Kristaps Pozingis) and the Wizards would add a player under contract in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and Will Barton on expiring deals. The Suns would replace Ayton with Mitchell Robinson and add Kuzma to juice the offense. The Knicks would get off of Randle&#8217;s money, get a young max center in Ayton, and add Barton as another wing option.</p> <p>Does this work for everyone involved? Let&#8217;s Grade the Trade!</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Grading the Trade </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137351" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-137351" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2242,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1346818122.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="3200" height="2242" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346818122.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1346818122-768x538.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards and Julius Randle, New York Knicks. Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images</p> </div> <h2>Grading the Suns on hypothetical trade with the Knicks</h2> <p>The Phoenix Suns have had an elite offense over the past few seasons, but that has come from incredible shot-making from talented players. They have subsisted on a number of two-point jumpers and non-dunk paint shots. The fit of Chris Paul with Ayton was never a natural one, and it led to the team devaluing Ayton and presumably insulting him through that process.</p> <p>Robinson would be an excellent pick-and-roll center to dive to the rim, and otherwise has a very low usage need offensively. That slack could be picked up by Kuzma, a player also <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/knicks-caa-ties-land-blossoming-star-via-trade/">linked to the Knicks</a> but who is blossoming offensively. Defensively, it’s likely that Robinson is an upgrade on Ayton. Adding Kuzma also gives the Suns the ability to move Jae Crowder for a non-4, which should open up trade possibilities to upgrade elsewhere.</p> <p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p> <h2>Grading the Wizards on trade with the Knicks</h2> <p>The Washington Wizards have lost 13 of their last 15 games at the time of this writing, with their 10-game losing streak snapped unexpectedly in Phoenix on Tuesday night. They are laden with a few bloated contracts and a bunch of mediocre lottery picks, and look like a team that should tear things down and reset.</p> <p>That’s never been the path this franchise takes, however, and trading for a player like Randle to extend the play-in agony is a very Wizards-esque move. Kuzma is able to hit unrestricted free agency this summer and has already indicated he wants to jet, and Barton is likewise a pending free agent. Adding Randle gives them an offensive boost and a “star” under contract for multiple seasons, and he should be set up for the most success playing next to a stretch-5 in Porzingis.</p> <p>This trade might make sense to Washington, but it shouldn’t. Flipping Kuzma is a chance to clear some space and rebuild the roster a bit, but this would lock them into an overpaid power forward who doesn’t space the floor much at all.</p> <p><strong>Grade: C</strong></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Grading the Knicks </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137352" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-137352" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1439914683.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1439914683.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1439914683-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">DeAndre Ayton, Phoenix Suns. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images</p> </div> <h2>Grading the Knicks on a trade for Ayton</h2> <p>On a purely performance-based evaluation, this is not a slam dunk trade for the Knicks. Ayton has had a bumpy season thus far and Barton has been downright bad, while Robinson is having an excellent year. Yet, looking at the bigger picture, this deal starts to make more sense.</p> <p>Having a non-shooter on the floor is much more palatable at center than at power forward, and swapping Randle out for Ayton moves that inside game to the 5 and opens the lineup for a floor-spacer at the 4. Randle’s money is much more onerous than Ayton’s, especially since Ayton is 24 years old and Randle is 28.</p> <p>The Wizards stand out as one of the teams most likely to covet Randle, and this construction uses Randle’s contract to bring in a different player than what the Wizards can offer. The Knicks would still have Isaiah Hartenstein to back up Ayton and could give more run to Obi Toppin and even RJ Barrett at the 4.</p> <p>It seems like Ayton’s inconsistency this season is more a product of the turmoil in Phoenix and the vote of no confidence the organization has placed in him, and if so buying him “low” could be a way for the Knicks to make a big improvement. It’s not a risk-free move, but the upside is tantalizing.</p> <p><strong>Grade: B</strong></p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Would Knicks make this Kyle Kuzma trade with Wizards?" data-url="https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/18/knicks-make-kyle-kuzma-trade-wizards/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/23/grade-the-trade-knicks-add-ayton-in-3-team-proposal/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/18/knicks-make-kyle-kuzma-trade-wizards/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Would Knicks make this Kyle Kuzma trade with Wizards? </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">