4 Stars the Denver Nuggets could trade Michael Porter Jr. for this summer

Star No. 4: Julius Randle, New York Knicks

The Knicks made a deep playoff run this season even without the former All-NBA forward Randle. The team clearly needed more offense and specifically shooting around Jalen Brunson, which MPJ could provide in spades. They could put sharpshooters Porter Jr. and Donte DiVincenzo around Brunson while still having stalwart defenders like OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson.

The team would have more balance and could lean all the way into building around Brunson without worrying about reintegrating Randle or his contract status as he enters the final guaranteed year.

For the Nuggets, Randle would offer a big bruising playmaker who can also space the floor with three-point shooting. His offense would take pressure off both Jokic and Murray and he should be able to play off them well. His fit with Aaron Gordon could be a little clunky, but the combination of the two and Jokic would solve any issues with frontcourt depth.

Randle could also help carry the team offensively in the regular season if players miss time and could easily work in tandem with Murray in bench units that don’t include Jokic. They should be able to replace some of MPJ’s shooting through the draft and free agency, but finding the overall impact of Julius Randle would be nearly impossible.