Julius Randle was one of the most impressive players of the 2020-21 NBA season. As a matter of fact, his performances earned him Most Improved Player of the Year. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep up with his level.
The Knicks, who also had a year to remember when Randle won MIP, have suffered the same decline. Now they are ready to make changes in order to bounce back, and moving the All-Star might be one of them.
Finding him a new home doesn’t look like an easy task, though, as no team appears to be interested in his lucrative contract. New York, meanwhile, wouldn’t be willing to do an extra effort to ship him either.
Rumor: Knicks unwilling to attach first rounders in Julius Randle trade
“I can’t speak for all 30 teams. Maybe there is a front office I haven’t heard about that is seeking out Randle. But if there were, I would be surprised. It’s not like the Knicks are clinging onto him. If you call them about Randle, they’re listening to your offer,” Fred Katz of The Athletic reported.
“If I tuned out of NBA news for a month, returned to learn that the Knicks had traded Randle and had to guess what the trade was, I’d assume they swapped him for another expensive contract — a milder version of all these supermax-for-supermax trades we’ve seen over the past few years. The four remaining seasons on Randle’s deal have made teams, even ones who believe last season wasn’t representative of who he is, hesitant about acquiring him. The Knicks, meanwhile, haven’t been willing to attach a first-rounder or two to send him elsewhere.”
The Knicks are certainly disappointed with Randle, but that doesn’t mean they want to move him at all costs. He may not have many suitors now, but he could still prove everyone wrong. It’s up to him to put all the pieces together and get back to his best.