Paul Pierce Trades RJ Barrett, Julius Randle in Hypothetical New York Knicks Blockbuster
Paul Pierce tortured the New York Knicks for nearly two decades. Now, he wants to help them.
Pierce, best-known for his storied career with the rival Boston Celtics, took on the role of Knicks general manager on "KG Certified," a basketball talk series hosted by former Beantown teammate Kevin Garnett. New York has been looking to add a superstar to its core led by Jalen Brunson, eerily mirroring the Celtics' pursuit of elite talent that eventually led to Garnett and Ray Allen joining Pierce. That group went on to win the 2008 NBA Finals with Pierce taking home the series' MVP award.
Though the running favorite among Knicks fans and observers has been Joel Embiid, Pierce has a hard time envisioning Embiid's current employers, the Philadelphia 76ers, trading the reigning MVP within the conference. Pierce instead labels New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson as the Knicks' most "realistic" trade option.
"If things flame out in New Orleans this year, and he gets hurt again or they don't make the playoffs or something don't go right, man, you've got to explore that," Pierce said. Garnett concurs, calling such a move a "game-changer" and hinting that he and Pierce would travel to Madison Square Garden to take in such a game personally.
Pierce and Garnett are no strangers to enjoying hypothetical solutions to their old rival's problems: a previous episode had them envisioning a future where 2023's top draft pick, Victor Wembanyama, ended up in New York.
Pierce (34) drives against the Knicks during the 2013 NBA Playoffs
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
On the current trade landscape, the Knicks have established themselves as a fruitful suitor thanks to a stockpile of draft picks obtained over the past two summers. Pierce, and Garnett, however, recognize that players to be named later simply won't cut it. Garnett mentions the idea of trading two-time All-Star Julius Randle back to New Orleans while Pierce adds the Knicks' homegrown franchise face RJ Barrett to the mix.
"A couple of first-rounders with Barrett and Randle, yeah, I think they would," Pierce said of the Pelicans' potential reaction to such a deal. "Randle is what New Orleans needs: they need a consistent 20-10 guy in that spot, which Zion is if he's healthy, but Randle's healthy."
Garnett warms up to the idea once Pierce includes Barrett, reasoning that the Pelicans would get the Knicks' "best players" and that their youth would pave a path forward for the franchise.
Little more needs to be written about the Knicks' star-crossed history with Williamson: their lone salvation at the end of a 17-win season in 2018-19 was the idea that they had the top odds to land the opening pick that would've landed the Duke phenom's services. Alas, New York fell to the third pick behind New Orleans and the Memphis Grizzlies. With Williamson and Ja Morant going in the opening slots. the Knicks took the former's Durham teammate Barrett with the third choice.
As Pierce implies, Williamson has had trouble staying healthy but has lived up the the massive hype during his limited time on Cajun hardwood. In 29 appearances last season, Williamson averaged 26 points and seven rebounds a game en route to his second All-Star berth. The Knicks have already felt Williamson's wrath during this young season, as the fourth-year man had 24 points in a 96-87 New Orleans win on Oct. 28.
A brutal start to the 2023-24 campaign (27.1 percent from the field) should only raise the heat on Randle's metropolitan future. Randle previously spent one season in New Orleans, his last before joining the Knicks in 2019. Barrett has yet to fully fulfill the expectations of a third overall pick but has gotten his fifth year off to a solid start, putting up 84 points over his first four games. The Knicks (2-4) have dropped each of their last two games sans Barrett, who is listed as day-to-day with a knee injury.
New York is set to host the season debut of another high-profile trade subject this week, as James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers visit MSG on Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
