Grade the trade: Stunning 3-team proposal has Knicks send All-Star to Warriors

The Golden State Warriors' offseason plans aren't hard to decipher. The front office wants to plant another All-Star next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. The departures of Klay Thompson and Chris Paul have freed up flexibility under the second tax apron, allowing the Warriors to operate more aggressively than they have since the Kevin Durant trade.

Paul George was the first target, but a reluctance to part with top prospects led to the dissolution of those talks and George's eventual cross-country move to Philadelphia. Now, the Warriors are poking around Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen. The only problem? Well, the Dubs don't want to part with a top prospect, so talks have stalled.

All of this is to say, it sure would be nifty if the Warriors could land an All-Star in a trade that doesn't require sacrificing their future. That takes them out of the mix for the true top-shelf players, but it does not preclude them from making a clever trade for a potentially undervalued asset.

Over at Heavy, Collin Loring proposed a three-team trade centered around the New York Knicks sending Julius Randle to Golden State, with the Jazz roped in for ancillary purposes. There's something there.

Here are the full details.

Warriors, Knicks, Jazz 3-team trade to land Julius Randle in Golden State

It's hard to cook up these trades without draft picks. Most three-team behemoths stretch beyond one's suspension of disbelief. And yet, the rough outline of this trade makes sense. I am not calling it probable, nor particularly realistic, but there are elements worth chewing on.

The Warriors basically turn Andrew Wiggins' bad contract, Kevon Looney's expiring deal, and their, what, fourth-best under-22 prospect into a two-time All-Star. Randle doesn't always live up to his All-Star billing, but the talent level and production are undeniable. He can be hard to envision in new schemes — Randle is such a unique player, with singular strengths and unavoidable weaknesses — but he would add a new dynamic to the Warriors' offense. That much is absolutely certain.

At 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, Randle is classically trained in the art of bully ball. He hammers mismatches in the post, attacks smaller wings on straight-line drives, and throws his weight around with reckless abandon. There are times when he falls back on the mid-range jumper a little too much, but Randle's advantage creation, passing, and three-level scoring in the frontcourt is an uncommon mixture.

Golden State can get away with small-ball lineups built around Draymond and Randle in the frontcourt, surrounding the Kentucky product with limitless shooting. Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski. Golden State will have no trouble spacing the floor and giving Randle pockets of space to work within.

He is not the most traditional Steve Kerr player, but Golden State needs to change the dynamics of its team. Randle accomplishes that and gives defenses a brute physical force to contend with while chasing Curry through his standard maze of screens.

Jericho Sims essentially replaces Kevon Looney as the third-string center, clearing the runway for a sophomore breakout from Trayce Jackson-Davis. Losing Moody hurts, but Randle is good enough to merit the risk.

Warriors grade: A-

As for the Knicks, the impetus behind this move is understandable. Randle feels like the odd man out with the 'Nova Knicks' core. Is he going to start 82 games next to OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges on the wing? Wouldn't Donte DiVincenzo's skill set fit more smoothly with that group? Randle's on-ball creation and general shot-making are valuable to New York, but Bridges' arrival diminishes that need, and Randle's postseason track record is spotty at best. The Knicks would be wise to focus on surrounding Brunson with as much defense and connective tissue as possible, with Bridges and Anunoby empowered as complementary scorers in lieu of Randle.

Walker Kessler is an awesome addition to replace the departed Isaiah Hartenstein at center. He's 22 and already one of the best per-minute rim protectors in the NBA. He won't quite match Hartenstein's offensive value, but Kessler can set monster screens, finish vertically at the rim, and anchor Thibs' scheme at a high level. He's going to keep getting better and the Knicks will surround him with elite perimeter defenders. It's hard to imagine a better spot for Kessler to blossom.

The Miles McBride loss hurts, but Collin Sexton averaged 18.7 points and 4.9 assists on .487/.394/.859 splits last season. He has made a conscious effort to improve his passing and become more of a team connector, rather than an individual spark plug. All the same, his rim pressure, shot-making, and infectious energy would suit the Knicks' second unit well. New York definitely missed Immanuel Quickley after the Anunoby trade; Sexton can recapture some of that energy.

Looney provides a sturdy third-string center and insures against injuries, which cost the Knicks last season. It feels weird to give up an All-Star without getting picks back, but Randle is such an oddball "star," that the collective fit of these pieces should outweigh whatever value you attach to Randle's career accolades.

Knicks grade: B

Utah, naturally, gets the short end of the stick in this hypothetical. It is, again, very hard to cook up these trades without picks. Plus, the focus is naturally on Golden State and New York, the big market needle-movers, in a made-up deal like this. It's easy to overlook the Jazz and not fully consider their perspective. Danny Ainge, of course, will never let such a trade actually unfold.

The Jazz are parting with the second-best asset in Kessler, a 22-year-old with a bright future anchoring the Utah frontcourt. His name has popped up in trade rumors, so perhaps there is some long-term trepidation from the Jazz, but Kessler isn't getting moved for spare parts.

So, that is where this debate rests. Are Kessler and Sexton more valuable than Moses Moody and Miles McBride? The answer is unequivocally yes. Like, by a lot. Moody has plenty of promise as a 21-year-old wing who can shoot, defend, and slash a bit, but he hasn't proven much in Golden State (Utah will certainly give him a longer runway). McBride is an awesome, awesome shot-maker and defender in the second unit, but it's fair to wonder if he'll amount to more than that. Would he even start for the rebuilding Jazz, or does he sit behind Jordan Clarkson on the depth chart?

Utah also takes on Wiggins' rotten contract to grease the wheels on this trade. Maybe he plays up his value in a different setting, getting back to his strengths as a wing-stopper and spot-up shooter, but it's not exactly a smart bet for the Jazz. It only complicates their financial outlook when navigating the seemingly inevitable Lauri Markkanen extension.

As such, Utah probably doesn't make this trade. Sexton for McBride straight up? Sure, but Kessler for Moody and Wiggins does not carry water. That is a trade the Jazz turn away from.

Jazz grade: D