Clippers News: Ivica Zubac Can End Knicks’ Desperate Search Amidst $181 Million Dilemma

The NY Knicks raised a lot of eyebrows with an insane move in the off-season. Even though they reunited the Villanova boys, they paid a heavy price. They roped in Mikal Bridges, giving away four unprotected first-round picks and a few other assets. However, Jalen Brunson played his part in fixing the issue by sacrificing a whopping $113 million with his latest extension. However, the Big Apple side still has to deal with a $181 million dilemma. Fortunately, LA Clippers‘ Ivica Zubac could put an end to all of their misery.

One of the biggest problems of the Knicks in the last season was their injury woes. Notably, Julius Randle did a lot of damage after he suffered a dislocated shoulder and ended his season in January. Nevertheless, the big man is indeed a valuable asset for the Knicks, averaging 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5 assists. But the only question is, will he be a right fit in the side after the inclusion of star forward Mikal Bridges?

Moreover, the 2x NBA All-Star is eligible for a four-year extension worth $181 million after August 3. With two more seasons, including a player option pending in his current contract, Randle can wait for another season and extend it to $313 million for five years. This could ultimately put the Knicks in jeopardy after losing a ton of assets for Bridges. Amid these testing times, a Western Conference executive revealed that the Clippers Ivica Zubac could ease the Knicks’ pain, as per Heavy.

In a statement, the exec said, ” (The Knicks) do not have a lot of options trying to find a team to take Randle… There’s not a lot of teams you can drop him into the lineup and they’d be fine, and there’s not a lot of teams that want to match up contracts there but the Clippers could.” The exec suggested a logical option for the Clippers to trade Ivica Zubac and P J Tucker to work around the Julius Randle situation.

Will Ivica Zubac trade put the Clippers out of misery?

The LA Clippers had a disappointing off-season, losing their star asset Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers. And they couldn’t make an impactful replacement, except for retaining James Harden. With Kawhi Leonard and The Beard on the side, the team still looks lethal, but they would definitely need a strong force in the frontcourt to make them into a championship side.

The 6′ 8 star forward, Julius Randle, can be the right fit for the short-handed Clippers. Above all, the front office has enough cap space to accommodate the big man after the departure of PG. On the other hand, the Knicks may have received the perfect replacement. After the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks can again have two big centers at their disposal: Ivica Zubac and Mitchell Robinson.

Importantly, Zubac may even take up the position in the starting lineup, considering his impressive stat line from last season. The 7 ‘1 tall center dropped 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds. Above all, he is in the final year of his three-year contract worth $33 million. So bagging Zubac should turn out to be a win-move for the Knicks.

Before you go, do not forget to check out Essentially Sports’ latest exclusive, featuring bg12 x Silas Demary Jr. Keep checking this space for more such updates.