Knicks Can’t Lose Julius Randle

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle is in the final year of his contract before he hits free agency next summer.

Given the fact that Randle missed the entire playoff run and the Knicks nearly made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, many believe that New York can do without its three-time All-Star forward. However, Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley doesn’t agree with that sentiment.

“For as good as New York looked at times without Randle last season, this offense fell apart in the playoffs. Jalen Brunson did what he could as a solo creator, but the lack of a second scoring option (or secondary playmaker) was problematically apparent. The Knicks drew even in his 517 minutes, but they lost the 112 he sat by a whopping 17.5 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com,” Buckley writes. “New York’s offseason acquisition of Mikal Bridges could help with that, but he has rarely approached (let alone sustained) the kind of production Randle routinely posts. Bridges and OG Anunoby look like great third and fourth options, which they would be with Randle back alongside Brunson. Bump the swingmen up to second and third options, and they might be over their skis.”

When Randle was on the floor with Brunson and Anunoby in January, the team was 13-2 and looked like the best team in the NBA. That’s the ceiling the Knicks can have if they are completely healthy. And then if you add Mikal Bridges, the Knicks could really make some noise and pierce into that contender conversation for both the Eastern Conference championship and the league title.

Randle turns 30 in November, so signing him to a long-term deal for close to max money could be a risk, but given where the Knicks are at now and where they are going, it’s one that they are going to have to take.

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