With their recent string of moves, the New York Knicks have basically set the table and laid out the red carpet for the arrival of Jalen Brunson. All he has to do is sign the contract once the NBA free agency period opens. But what about the Knicks incumbent All-Star Julius Randle?
Randle went from folk hero of their playoff return a season ago to scapegoat for their crash landing back down to earn this past campaign. With Julius Randle still having three guaranteed seasons plus a player option left on his current contract, there's been a ton of chatter about a mutual parting of ways – or at least exploratory talks.
According to Knicks beat report Fred Katz of The Athletic, the front office has at least looked into it. In a recent episode of the Callin Shots podcast Katz confirmed that the team has been making the calls around the league for a potential Julius Randle trade. But he also affirmed that nothing is likely to happen in the coming offseason:
“The Knicks have inquired with other teams about moving Julius Randle … I'm not optimistic, if you're somebody who wants them to trade Randle, I wouldn't predict that's what happens this summer. We’re talking about like giving him away. Maybe if you take back a contract of equal value.”
Julius Randle is making star money while posting a recent season that was far from that from a productivity standpoint given the extremely lengthy contract he still has left, the Knicks will definitely have serious trouble finding a trade partner without sacrificing major draft capital.
New York would be better off letting Randle play up his trade value with a solid season. Perhaps then, suitors would start taking their calls a little more seriously.
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