Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle played together with the New Orleans Pelicans this past season and developed a nice rapport. The New York Knicks are hoping that chemistry will carry over to New York, as the Knicks agreed to deals with both players on the first day of free agency.

Payton says he's “excited” to play with Randle again and that the power forward is a “dog.”

“I’m excited to play with Julius again,’’ Payton said, via Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I had always liked Julius from afar and really respected his game. But last year, being up close with him and being in the situation we were in last year — where we were going through all of the injuries and tough stuff and still having to produce — I got a chance to see what he does when his back is against the wall and he came through in a big way.

“I gained a lot of respect for him. He’s a dog. I respect anybody who’s a dog in this league.”

The Knicks missed out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but agreed to deals with six solid veterans. Along with Elfrid Payton and Julius Randle, the Knicks also agreed to deals with Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington and Reggie Bullock.

This past season, Randle averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds, while Payton put up 10.6 points and 7.6 assists.