The NBA landscape got a recent shakeup with the Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle trade. The deal was finalized as a three-team trade between the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets. Headlining the blockbuster deal was Towns heading to the Big Apple in exchange for Randle and Donte DiVincenzo joining the contending Timberwolves squad.
After losing Isaiah Hartenstein to free agency and Mitchell Robinson to injury to start the year, the Knicks had a clear void in the big man rotation. Towns’ addition instantly resolved that notion to help round out their talented new starting five. For the Wolves, they gave themselves some more financial flexibility while also getting some win-now additions in Randle and DiVincenzo.
However, it was reported shortly after the deal went down that the Miami Heat were involved in talks to acquire Randle before the trade became official.
Detroit, Atlanta, Miami among the other teams NYK talked to about trades of Julius Randle, per SNY sources. MIN slashes its future payroll by acquiring Randle, who can be an FA this summer. Knicks get big man they’ve long had on radar in Karl Towns.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) September 28, 2024
Striking out on Randle adds to the seemingly never-ending list of All-Star caliber talent that the Heat failed to acquire. That said, there’s a case to be made why the Heat both should and shouldn’t have pounced on an addition for the former Knicks star.
Why the Heat should have went all-in for Randle
The Heat’s back-to-back play-in berths may have given some signs that this roster is desperate for a shakeup. For years it has seemed that Miami was just one piece away from being a title favorite around the league. After all, they have had legitimate success with their Jimmy Butler/Bam Adebayo/Tyler Herro core but have repeatedly fallen just short.
There are a lot of intriguing elements that Randle could have brought to the table. The functional size next to Adebayo in the frontcourt would have been promising. Randle, coming off a season averaging 24.0 points, could have addressed some offensive issues as a proven bucket-getter for a big man.
Why the Heat shouldn’t have went all-in for Randle
At the end of the day, Miami chose the latter in terms of being more aggressive for Randle’s talents. Even if the Heat could benefit from getting some star reinforcements to inject into their winning culture, the fit would’ve been questionable. Pat Riley is not one to settle or force any trade just to make one, and Randle’s game may not have fit the timeline.
His ball dominant usage on the offensive end would’ve taken opportunity away from their core. Randle doesn’t possess the strongest postseason reputation, which wouldn’t have been ideal for a proven playoff team. He is coming off a season where he only appeared in 46 games due to season-ending shoulder surgery.
Most importantly, the Heat would’ve had to offload a package of proven players and young promising ones. With the team’s “run it back” mentality, Randle isn’t the type of name to risk breaking up a group that has built cohesion and chemistry to facilitate a trade.