NBA Rumors: Executive links Julius Randle with a move to Miami Heat

Recent NBA rumors have suggested that Julius Randle could be linked with a move to the Miami Heat. With Heavy.com's Sean Deveney gathering input from an Eastern Conference executive, he shed more light on the matter.

The New York Knicks have been a fairly solid team compared to last season. Occupying ninth place in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks managed to rack up a 6-7 record early in the season.

An important aspect of their relative success has been Julius Randle's impressive performances. Randle, who is averaging 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, is playing at a high level.

Considering his massive contract and his penchant for being inconsistent, the Knicks had reportedly considered trading him in the offseason as well. However, the opportunity to trade him presents itself once again as rumors suggest that the Miami Heat may have their sights set on the Knicks forward.

Given Miami's lack of size in the frontcourt, the Heat have reportedly been on the lookout for a solid 4. While they have Caleb Martin currently playing the 4, this move isn't sustainable.

In this regard, as per recent rumors, Julius Randle has emerged as a potential target along with a few other names for the Miami Heat.

Heavy.com's Thomas Darro wrote about this after a report from Sean Deveney and his conversation with an Eastern Conference executive. The executive mentioned both sides of the story.

While speaking about the Knicks' side, he mentioned that the team could look into trading with the LA Lakers. However, neither team would be keen on making the trade happen as they would stand to lose more.

At this juncture, the executive said:

"Miami is probably the big team that will be looking for a power forward and he would at least be interesting there with Bam (Adebayo) and Jimmy Butler. They’d have to make up for him on the defensive end, but they are good at scheming that way and they’ve been really bad on the offensive end.

"The Knicks would have to take back (Duncan) Robinson and a couple of their young guys like (Omer) Yurtseven and (Nikola Jovic), something like that. The Knicks would have to trust Obi (Toppin) to take that spot, too. You could make it work but it might not be the best thing for either side, really."

Much like a potential trade with the LA Lakers, the executive mentioned that the Knicks stand to lose more by trading with Miami.

However, the move could still be fairly viable for the Heat.

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The Miami Heat could benefit from acquiring Julius Randle

Julius Randle battles for a rebound

Although the executive mentioned that the deal could be bad for the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat could still benefit from pursuing Julius Randle.

As mentioned earlier, the Heat currently has Caleb Martin starting at the power forward spot. While Martin has done a solid job in his given role, the Heat could be better served by a naturalized forward like Randle.

Randle's addition also reduces the rebounding and offensive workload placed on Bam Adebayo. This gives him more freedom to take up a larger role on the defensive end, which would inevitably happen considering Randle's shortcomings as a defender.

Acquiring Randle may also allow the Miami Heat to offload Duncan Robinson's massive contract. However, they may also have to give up some important pieces in the process of doing so.

The Heat are currently still pursuing the likes of Jae Crowder from the Phoenix Suns. But Randle does pose as an interesting prospect in trade negotiations.