The New York Knicks are here to stay as one of the league's most competitive teams; this is quite a turnaround after the Knicks endured mismanagement over the greater course of the past 20 years. The Knicks came within one win away of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and that was with all the injury problems they endured, including to All-Star forward Julius Randle.

Randle still has two years remaining on his current contract, although he could opt out of his deal at the conclusion of next season in search of a bigger contract. With Jalen Brunson also up for a huge contract extension soon, the Knicks could face a financial crunch sooner than later, especially if they manage to re-sign OG Anunoby in this year's free agency.

Nonetheless, the 29-year old power forward expressed his desire to remain in the Big Apple for the foreseeable future.

“I’ve always said from the very beginning I would love to be here in New York and I would love to continue to add on to what the guys did in the playoffs. I feel like that was my personal — biggest personal goal, or I’d say team goal in a sense, was when I got here is to be able to build and compete and to be at the point where we’re at now, where it’s an actual possibility [to win a championship],” Randle said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

Julius Randle's season was cut short after just 46 games after he suffered a dislocated right shoulder, an injury that ended up being season-ending contrary to the initial prognosis. Jalen Brunson has now overtaken Randle as the team's best player, but that should not take away from the 29-year old forward's importance to the team. The question now is, will the Knicks reward Randle financially for being one of the team's culture-setters over the past four seasons?

Is Julius Randle's Knicks future in question?

Not too many expected the Knicks to be much better back in 2020. However, thanks to some major improvements from Julius Randle, the Knicks made it to the playoffs in 2021 for the first time since 2013. In the process, Randle deservedly won the Most Improved Player award — cementing himself as a legitimate star in the league.

The 2021-22 campaign was a bit of a decline for the Knicks, but it didn't take long for them to bounce back. Buoyed by the huge signing of Jalen Brunson, as well as the subsequent additions of Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, OG Anunoby, and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Knicks have assembled one of the deepest teams in the association.

Alas, it seemed like the Knicks were able to stumble upon a winning formula even without Julius Randle. Hart has worked wonders as the team's power forward thanks to his elite rebounding ability, while Randle's absence opened up more touches for Brunson and DiVincenzo, allowing them to reach a higher level of play.

Brunson, in particular, was a man on a mission throughout the 2024 NBA playoffs. Meanwhile, Randle hasn't exactly proven to be a clutch performer in the playoffs. In 15 career playoff games for the Knicks, Randle has shot a putrid 34.4 percent from the field and a ghastly 28.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Randle will be up for a huge contract soon; will keeping him in town be the Knicks' play? Or are they better off packaging Randle's contract along with their collection of draft assets for a bigger star who could help elevate the team even further?

Randle's road to recovery

It was quite unfortunate that the Knicks lost Julius Randle to a season-ending injury right as when they were getting into a roll in the month of January. They lost just two games in that month, and the Knicks were looking like a legitimate contending team after the addition of OG Anunoby.

Randle, for all his faults, is a 20-10 machine who soaks up pressure on the offensive end; he gives Jalen Brunson more space to work with since he himself commands a ton of attention from the opposing team. Randle would have given the Knicks an additional dimension, a bucket-getter from the midrange and the paint who would have made the Indiana Pacers' life in the second round a more miserable one on the glass.

The focus for the 29-year old forward now is to get back to an All-Star level and help the Knicks in whichever way he could.

“So really, that’s what my focus is, doing whatever I can to make sure I get healthy and get back and make sure I’m ready whenever we start playing again and contribute to winning. That’s really all my focus is and that stuff always in my career has taken care of itself,” Randle added.