Julius Randle looks like he's finally recovered from that historically horrendous slump he had to begin the 2023-24 NBA season. That still doesn't mean the New York Knicks shouldn't trade him this season. Not if they want to be more competitive in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks are currently seventh in the East standings with an 8-6 record. Their defense has become their strong suit while their offense is finally starting to hum as they've ranked third in offensive rating over their last seven games.

Jalen Brunson has carried over the momentum from his strong debut campaign with the Knicks and is averaging 24.2 points while shooting a career-best 47.9 percent from beyond the arc in his second season in The Big Apple. Meanwhile, RJ Barrett has emerged as the team's No. 2 scorer and has shown major improvement with his three-point shot.

Randle, meanwhile, had just about the worst six-game start of any player in the NBA in over six decades. While the two-time All-Star has been much better, the Knicks should still look to trade him.

Knicks player who must be traded: Julius Randle

Julius Randle started off the 2023-24 NBA season as ugly as it can ever get. Through his first six games, the lefty stunk up Madison Square Garden (and other arenas he visited) by shooting a putrid 27.1 percent from the field, including 22.5 percent from long distance. Since 1959, that was the worst shooting stretch by any NBA player through his first six games of the season.

Since then, he has scored over 21 points in his last eight games and is playing more like the two-time All-Star that Knicks fans came to know and love. In this current stretch, Randle is averaging 23.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from three.

The production is certainly there for Randle. But the percentages are still less than desired. Nonetheless, this is way better than what he started the season.

Still, the Knicks should not let his little resurgence sway them from the fact that they should move on from their All-Star forward. Randle just isn't going to cut it for New York if it wants to move closer to its goal of winning an NBA championship.

The primary problem doesn't lie with Randle's production. The man has proven he can put up numbers. However, the Knicks fans' main gripe his Randle's attitude and effort on the floor.

Effort and attitude issues

Let's begin with his attitude. Julius Randle just does not carry the attitude of a winning basketball player. He more often than not lets his personal agenda come before the team. This play where he forces the issue against the Timberwolves twin towers Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert is prime evidence of that.

That's just unethical basketball right there. He still takes way too many tough shots that just waste away valuable possessions for the Knicks. A kind fan on X (formerly Twitter) was kind enough to compile some of Randle's questionable-at-best shot selections.

Sure, there are games when he's one of the 15 best players in the league and he's playing like he gives a you know what. Just look at the way he dives on the floor for this sequence in a close game over the eventual champion Denver Nuggets last season.

It is these kinds of effort plays that Knicks fans love. New Yorkers are one of the hardest fanbases to please. But when they see a player give a hundred percent every time he steps on the floor, they are going to shower him with all the love they can give.

That, however, does not come consistently for Randle, which explains their desire to ship him out of town.

More often than not, Randle's effort is tied to how he is playing offensively. Whenever he struggles, it is easy to see from his body language just where his mind is at. The defensive effort drops, he is not boxing out as hard, and he certainly is in the mood to dive for loose balls.

That's a far cry from Jalen Brunson, who is the true leader of this team. Even if Brunson's shot isn't going down, the lefty still gives his all even if he's jostling with players who tower over five inches on him most nights.

Trading Randle would not necessarily land them a top star who could put them over the hump in their pursuit of a title. Nonetheless, it is a step in the right direction and they should strongly consider making that move this 2023-24 NBA season.