Randolph heading to Knicks, Francis shipped to Blazers in draft-day trade

[HexNBA]

The New York Knicks didn't have a lottery pick Thursday night but made their own draft-night splash by acquiring Portland big man Zach Randolph.

The Knicks and Trail Blazers reached agreement on a deal that swaps Randolph and teammates Dan Dickau and Fred Jones for guard Steve Francis and Channing Frye.

Francis has only two seasons left on his contract, worth just over $34 million, but possesses the option to become a free agent after next season. The Blazers, however, are planning to buy out Francis' contract and make him a free agent this summer, sources said.

Yet even if they changed course and decided to keep Francis, his arrival would still provide Portland with some long-term payroll relief, since Randolph has four seasons left on his contract worth more than $61 million.

Randolph averaged 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in a breakout season in 2006-07 but has faced an uncertain future in Portland since late May, when Portland won the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery and the right to select Greg Oden. But the Blazers, who continue to put a premium on good citizenship after years of turmoil, prefer to jettison Randolph and build around a front line of Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge.

But neither Randolph's troubled off-court past nor the fact that New York already has a low-post presence in Eddy Curry appears to concern Knicks president Isiah Thomas.

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Good deal for both teams I think. now Portland only has to get rid of Darius Miles and they're set. Randolph is a monster, he'll be a tremendous asset for the Knicks.

[spreedom]

Well this is a great deal for the Blazers, because they can dump a terrible contract (and take on a much shorter deal) and have a chance to unlock a little potential in Frye, who seemed to plateau a little bit last year (and not in a good way).