The recent additions of Anunoby and Bridges make Randle a luxury for the team. If they’re willing to turn that luxury into added depth, perhaps it would make this team even stronger early in the season. Ultimately, that’s the question the Knicks will have to ask themselves: Would they be better off with Randle as a luxury at power forward or could they drop into the starting five and give Anunoby the starting green light at power forward in hopes of adding a true backup guard behind Brunson and a backup center for Mitchell Robinson?
It’s not an easy decision to make. The good news is that New York will have some time to figure it all out. I imagine the Knicks will start the season with Randle and see how it goes. If it becomes clear that he’s not much of a fit, they could always change direction ahead of the NBA trade deadline. At that point, his trade value might not be as high as it is now, but it’s a gamble New York is probably willing to take.
There is a path to New York that solves some of its depth problems. The question is, are they willing to go the distance it will take to get there?