NBA: Stephen A. Smith wants Julius Randle out, Damian Lillard in after Knicks playoff exit

Stephen A. Smith has made an emotional plea for the New York Knicks to make some key offseason moves in the wake of the team’s second-round pick to the Miami Heat in the NBA playoffs, begging for star player Julius Randle to be traded for the Portland Trailblazers franchise player, Damian Lillard.

The ESPN basketball analyst was on the verge of crying after the Knicks lost to Jimmy Butler and Co. in Miami Friday night. and failed to hold back several players in orange and blue.

‘I needed a few minutes. Season is over. Fate and I always knew the New York Knicks would lose,” said a 55-year-old who beat Smith, a native of the Bronx, before shooting Knicks head Tom Thibodeau. “Team can’t shoot, but you only play in 27 games against Evan Fournier this season. Don’t give him a second in the playoffs.

‘[Quentin] Grimes air ball at the end of the game… Jalen Brunson, spectacular… 41 points. But he was the only one who showed up!

‘RJ Barrett… 1 of 10 shooting from the field! Real?! Real?! And you have the guts to be sensitive to criticism…”

Smith, of ESPN, wants the Knicks to go all in for 32-year-old, seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard

Smith, who hails from the Bronx, didn’t hold back in his assessment of Julius Randle in the playoffs

Pretty much critical of most of the night’s Knicks starters, bar center Mitchell Robinson, there was one player in particular who couldn’t hide from Smith’s wrath. And that was star forward and the team’s second option, Julius Randle.

‘Julius Randle… Julius Randle… Julius Randle… 3 of 14… again the playoffs have arrived, again you fold.

‘Finished. Finished!

“It’s time to trade for Julius Randle,” Smith continued emphatically. “It’s time for him to go. I want Damian Lillard. I don’t care what you have to do to get him. I want Damian Lillard.

‘Bye.’

Indeed, as Smith pointed out, Jalen Brunson was once again on fire for New York when he was most to be trusted, scoring on 14-for-22 shooting. But his teammates rallied for just 51 points – Julius Randle had 15 and RJ Barrett 11, converting just one shot all game. Josh Hart added 11 points from the Knicks bench.

“Congratulations to the Heat, to the organization, to the coaching staff, [Erik Spoelstra] and Pat Riley and all their players,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “They played tough in this series and hats off to them. But I’m proud of our boys. There is always disappointment at the end of the season and in the end one team will survive. […] Proud of the way this team has worked all year.’

The only player not to face Smith’s wrath: Jalen Brunson, who scored 41 points on Friday

Brunson had 22 points in the first half, his third-highest tie for break in a game this season – and his most ever at halftime of a playoff game. He had 15 in the first quarter as the Knicks came flying out to grab early control.

“I just have to give them a lot of credit. They didn’t play as an eighth seed at all,” Brunson said, referring to the Heat reaching the playoff via the play-in tournament after finishing as the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference ahead of the postseason. ‘They were incredible. The greatest respect for them and that organization. I liked the way we fought.’

It remains to be seen if the Knicks front office will want to give up any of its assets for Lillard, a seven-time All Star, whose nickname was “Dame Time” for his history of making big shots in the clutch.

Lillard, who scored 32.2 points in 36.3 minutes per game this season, was honored as one of the greatest NBA players of all time by joining the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

He reached the 2019 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors – the eventual NBA champions – averaging 34.3 points and 10.2 assists per game, arguably the most successful season of his career.