Randle comes home… to Brooklyn
By Noah Zimmerman
noah@queensledger.com
The New York teams have been busy this offseason and for good reason. The Knicks are hungry to remain atop the basketball world after ending a 53-year wait just a few weeks ago and the Nets have a monumental rebuild still early in the works.
The hometown kid is back!
Jose Alvarado will be a Knick again, penning a team-friendly contract to stay in New York for the next three years on a $14 million deal.
The Brooklyn born guard declined his $4.5 million option to sign a longer contract, also helping the Knicks keep their pockets full enough for more key depth signings.
With the savings, New York was able to re-sign Landry Shamet to a four year deal worth $24 million, but there likely isn’t enough space left to retain Mitchell Robinson this Summer.
Alvarado made a name for himself at Christ the King High School in Queens before a great college career at Georgia Tech. As a Knick he came up big, including clutch 4th quarter minutes in the NBA Finals.
Nets trade for Randle
Brooklyn made a big move ahead of the NBA Draft, sending center Nic Claxton to Chicago in a three-team deal in exchange for Julius Randle and the 28th overall draft pick.
It’s tough to lose Claxton but it was a long time coming. The 2019 second- rounder had one of his best seasons as a versatile big man but no longer fit Brooklyn’s timeline.
The obvious storyline is the two-headed monster of Randle and Michael Porter Jr., fresh off his best season yet. Nets fans can already envision the pick and rolls as these two will likely take the bulk of the team’s shots this season.
Randle has also started to familiarize himself with the Nets newcomers. He reportedly already spoke with #6 overall selection Mikel Brown Jr., eager to get in the lab as Brooklyn crafts their new offensive plans.
The deal is still pending, which is why Joshua Jefferson (selected with Minnesota’s draft pick) will not be traveling with the team for their California Classic games this week. He is expected to join the other Nets rookies and sophomores in Las Vegas for the Summer League right after the trade is finalized.
