The New York Knicks
With the whole team thrown up into the air, it’ll be up to Knicks president Leon Rose to decide who stays and who goes. With the All-Star leap of Julius Randle, and the steady ascent of their young core (namely the Canadian RJ Barrett and rookie guard Immanuel Quickley), New York finds itself in a position to push towards the Eastern Conference Finals rather than the lottery.
Randle is under a pretty affordable contract for the next two year, and with Barrett on his rookie deal, Derrick Rose making bench money, the rest of the Knicks expiring, and the draw of playing in New York, and we might see the Knicks try and make a push for some big-name free agents this offseason.
Lowry would be one of those. The Knicks would have to offer back a couple of picks, but their trade package could center around some young guys who’ve been stuck behind more complete players in the Knick’s rotation.
Kyle Lowry would be what the Knicks need.
The big question would be Mitchell Robinson. The 23-year-old has shown a lot of promise as a rim runner and shot-blocker, but injuries have slowed down his promising NBA career. He’s the exact kind of center Toronto would love to have.
If New York decides they can’t wait any longer on Robinson’s health/development, they may be able to sign him to a medium-sized contract this summer and swap him for Lowry.
If the Knicks are willing to part with Robinson, then he might be the best fit for a Toronto team looking for young front-court talent.
If that move fails, a couple of draft picks, which New York has plenty of thanks to the Kristaps Porzingis trade, should suffice.