Are Knicks Planning Julius Randle Trade?

What’s the current handle on Randle? One New York Knicks insider claims that the team doesn’t want to trade its tenured All-Star but their hand could be forced if they’re looking to fulfill a long-standing goal of landing another established talent.

Fred Katz of The Athletic provided an update on Randle’s status after a rollercoaster season gives way to an intriguing conundrum: signing Randle to a nine-figure extension (which Katz notes could be worth as much as $181.5 million) feels like a no-brainer considering his last two seasons, but their literally painful endings could give the Knicks pause.

“The Knicks are not trying to trade Randle, but they recognize that their quest for a star could require having to do so,” Katz reported. “If a suitable target does not pop up this summer, then they could turn their eyes to the 2025 trade deadline, hoping to land one then.”

Katz notes that there is a “sweet spot” that could give the Knicks time to figure things out, as the earliest Randle can sign his extension is Aug. 3.

Randle’s ultimate fate will partly build how the Knicks’ fateful offseason, one set to build on their most successful season in over a decade, is judged. Set to turn 30 in November, Randle has reached the All-Star Game on consecutive occasions but he missed the Knicks’ last playoff run with a shoulder injury that ended his season in late January. Randle was able to partake in 2023’s run to the second run but it was clear that he was rushed back from a late ankle injury that hindered his postseason play.

Dollars and roster sense will perhaps stand as the ultimate factors in deciding Randle’s metropolitan fate. Ideally, the Knicks would seek a way to run things back considering a depleted roster fell just five wins short of an NBA Finals appearance but New York has hardly been hesitant to hide its desire for another established superstar to join the fold. One could argue that such a star is Randle himself, but his advancing age and health issues render things far from cut-and-paste.

“When the Knicks are in on a player, they push to extend him. But in this case, the financials could make them hesitate,” Katz said. “If Randle were to take less money just to guarantee the security of a four-year deal, as he did a few years ago, then New York could bite. But if he wanted every cent, the Knicks would have to think about the long term.”

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