Julius Randle committed to the New York Knicks long-term with a four-year, $117 million extension. In the process, however, he left a ton of money on the table, which he could've gotten if he waited for a year.
As Andrew Lopez of ESPN noted, Randle would have been eligible to a $200 million extension had he decided to wait until 2022 for his contract to expire.
For Randle, though, he couldn't care less about the money he left since he believes his decision will pay off in the bigger picture and long run. Besides, his extension gives the Knicks more financial flexibility to build a competitive team in hopes of making a deeper run in the playoffs and competing for the title.
“Even if I left money on the table, I trust in the long run that it’s going to pay off. I trust Leon, I trust Wes, I trust Scott, Thibs, all those guys,” Randle explained, per Ian Begley of SNY.TV.
While it's true that Julius Randle could have earned more, it's obvious he is also thinking about the Knicks and the franchise's future. His big extension is already enough to secure him and his family financially, but clearly, he has bigger aspirations on the court.
The Knicks added Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier in free agency while retaining role players in Taj Gibson, Nerlens Noel and Derrick Rose. While it is unknown if their moves are enough to replicate their success from last season, Randle is surely not backing down.
Julius Randle says NYK’s culture of family/trust was a factor in why he agreed to the extension: “Even if I left money on the table, I trust in the long run that it’s going to pay off. I trust Leon, I trust Wes, I trust Scott, Thibs, all those guys.” More: pic.twitter.com/Rwka4VNL7a
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) August 27, 2021
We'll see how Julius Randle and the Knicks follow up their surprising 2020-21 campaign.
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