With an up-and-down season, the New York Knicks definitely have a lot of issues at the moment. However, the biggest elephant in the room for them has been the horribly inconsistent play of superstar Julius Randle. He's suddenly regressed and is having career lows in every major statistical category this season. It is quite troubling considering how well he played for the Knicks last year when he led them to the NBA Playoffs and was named as an All-Star and the Most Improved Player.
The situation has left us pondering as to what the future holds for Randle with the Knicks and whether he'll be with the team beyond this season. Let's discuss the two reasons why New York needs to move Randle ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
2. The Knicks have an overcrowded frontcourt rotation
With Randle's recent struggles and the Knicks already possessing a deep frontcourt rotation with RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Obi Toppin, Nerlens Noel, Taj Gibson, and their newest addition in Cam Reddish, it may be time for New York to weigh its options regarding Randle's future.
Plus with Randle's big contract and his need to have the ball in his hands constantly, this creates a logjam at the power forward spot that could cause other internal issues for the Knicks as the season wears on. Not to mention, Barrett, Robinson, and Toppin have been playing phenomenally all season long, and with Reddish soon to have a major impact, there's no doubt Randle's dissatisfaction and subpar play will continue to have a negative effect on the team.
Even the Knicks' own fans have voiced their displeasure with Randle.
1. Randle is being outshined by Knicks' other star players
After investing a ton of money in Randle this offseason and hoping for him to have another All-Star year, the Knicks may have some regrets about how much cash they shelled out. In their continued efforts to build a winning culture, the Knicks may have to come to terms with the fact that Randle no longer fits the mold of what they're setting out to accomplish in both the near future and long-term.
Not to mention he's been vastly outplayed by Barrett, Toppin, Robinson, and Evan Fournier this year and hasn't shown nearly as much promise as they have up to this point. With all these guys playing lights out and putting on highlight-worthy performances on a nightly basis, it hasn't left much hope for Randle and has put coach Tom Thibodeau in a tough spot with the NBA trade deadline fast approaching.
Plus, it doesn't seem like this will change anytime soon for Randle with Barrett, Toppin, Robinson, and Fournier getting more touches and playing more efficiently. So with this unfortunate series of events unfolding for the Knicks throughout the season, this may force them to move on from Randle sooner than expected.
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