3 trades to get Kyrie Irving onto the Knicks

2. Give the Thunder a call to make it a three-team trade

If the Knicks are to bring in Irving in a sign-and-trade deal, he will want a new deal. That means they will have to free some salary off of the books. The easiest way to do so is to get rid of some contracts and send them to other teams.

The best bet for the Knicks is to include the Oklahoma City Thunder to make it a three-way trade.

It is no secret that the Thunder will do anything to accumulate draft picks, that includes taking on bad contracts. They have the space to do so, and it helps accelerate their rebuild with the bevy of draft capital they have at their disposal.

Shedding bad contracts sounds easy, but the Knicks will have to part ways with multiple first- and second-round picks to do so.

1. Trade Julius Randle to Brooklyn

For the Knicks to bring on Irving’s huge contract is to part ways with one of their own. New York’s largest contract on the books is Julius Randle’s.

The Knicks seemingly struck gold when they signed Randle to a three-year deal in 2019. In the 2020-21 season, Randle made the All-Star Game for the first time of his career and won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. His play helped the Knicks make the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Randle was signed to a four-year, $117 million contract extension, and this past season, his play took a hit.

It is quite possible a change of scenery could do wonders for both the Knicks and Randle. Maybe that place is Brooklyn in a deal that sends Irving to Manhattan?