Julius Randle Family Ready But Sad to Leave Knicks

The New York Knicks’ trade for Towns removed the Randles from the city.

The Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves confirmed their blockbuster bargain on Wednesday, one headline by the swapping of Karl-Anthony Towns for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle. Thus ends a memorable five-year Manhattan term for Randle, the three-time All-Star who launched the Knicks back into NBA relevancy.

With the trade made official, Randle’s wife Kendra offered a bittersweet reaction on TikTok, which saw her document a “crazy” 72 hours that have seen the family hit warp speed on a transition from Manhattan to Minneapolis. Kendra was already stationed in Minnesota as she filmed, as she and Julius made their way west when the trade was first reported by Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

While it come mere days before training camp activities tip off, Kendra knows that the trade’s timing could’ve been worse.

“I’m really grateful that it’s actually not in the middle of the season, like before the deadline or whatever,” Kendra said. “But it has been pretty crazy for our first time (being traded).”

In some ways, the trade was a blessing in disguise for the Randles, as Kendra claimed that she and Julius were already looking for ways to move outside of Manhattan itself. Kendra said that while getting the call from Minnesota was “shocking,” she and her husband were “ready to leave New York” itself.

“Living in a condo with two kids is so hard. I don’t care what anyone says,” she said. “It was a great experience, but we were already looking to move outside the city. It was just getting so hard and overwhelming for us because my husband is from Texas and I’m from Kentucky and that’s just not how we grew up.”

While Kendra lauded “gorgeous” Minnesota, she has fully clarified her appreciation for the New York experience in an X post, taking issue TMZ’s wording that city life was “difficult.”

“I love New York and will miss it and everyone dearly,” she said. “[I’m] just excited for my husband and for a new chapter.”

The hardest part, Kendra explained, was the impact the trade had on the couple’s children, Kyden and Jayce. Things were especially tough for seven-year-old Kyden, who had already begun second grade.

“The hardest part by far was telling our seven-year-old that he had to leave his school and friends. That was the hardest conversation and honestly the hardest part for Julius and, I too, leaving that community. That school is incredible,” Kendra said. “Everyone is just so sad that he is leaving, so that’s the really hard part about the NBA and the family aspect of it is that it affects all of the kids, the whole family, and they have to uproot their life.”

Kendra concluded by acknowledging her gratitude for the situation and the hype will only heighten once her husband takes the floor: Minnesota is fresh off a long-awaited appearance in the Western Conference Finals and maintains plenty of firepower from the trip, including Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert.

It won’t be long until the Randles are potentially back in New York, as the Knicks and Timberwolves have a preseason match at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 13.

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