The New York Knicks spent the entire 2023-24 campaign battling injuries, and it finally became too much to overcome, as they suffered a season-ending 130-109 defeat to the New York Knicks in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. One guy whose injury issues have almost been forgotten about given how long he's been out for is Julius Randle, and now, the Knicks may have to make some tough decisions regarding his future with the team this offseason.

Randle's season came to an end all the way back on January 27th when he suffered what would eventually be a season-ending shoulder injury. Guys like Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo stepped up in Randle's absence, and while they would gladly welcome him back next season, the fact that Randle is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract has the Knicks front office contemplating whether or not they should trade him before they either potentially lose him for nothing in free agency, or hand him a massive extension.

Should the Knicks trade Julius Randle this offseason?

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) warms up before a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to his season-ending shoulder injury, Randle earned his third All-Star selection over the past four seasons, and he was putting up some big numbers for New York along the way (24 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 5 APG, 47.2 FG%). Nobody is doubting Randle's standing as a star of the game, but the emergence of several key contributors for the Knicks in their playoff run has made his future cloudy.

Randle is under contract for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign, before he has a player option for the 2025-26 season. The possibility that Randle opts out of his deal in search of a bigger deal is pretty high, so the Knicks probably need to figure out this offseason whether or not they want to sign him to that new deal, even if they don't get it done right away.

With other key pieces stepping up for New York, they may not necessarily feel the urge to sign Randle to such a deal. He's going to be entering his age 30 season, and while he's been an All-Star player for New York, he's had struggles with consistency, and some folks don't believe he's a great fit alongside Jalen Brunson. If the front office agrees with that assessment, they could field trade offers for him this offseason.

The emergence of the Knicks collective depth throughout the playoffs could throw a wrench in their offseason plans, which were initially going to be centered around adding another star alongside Randle and Brunson. But now, they could conceivably move on from Randle and bolster the core that nearly brought them to the Eastern Conference Finals. New York's front office has some big decisions to make over the next few weeks, and teams across the league are going to keep an eye on Randle in the event the Knicks make him available for a trade.