Knicks News: Tom Thibodeau Unpacks Julius Randle’s Future in New York

All-Star New York Knicks power forward Julius Randle faces an uncertain future with the club.

The 6-foot-8 Kentucky product blossomed into his current two-time All-NBA self under the stewardship of head coach Tom Thibodeau, who assumed his current role at the start of the 2020-21 NBA season. Randle has been with New York since 2019-20.

During Thibodeau’s first year in charge, the Knicks returned to the postseason for the first time in eight years, finishing 41-31 and sewing up the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed.

That’s when the trouble for Randle, coming off his first All-Star and All-NBA Team honors, really started in earnest.

Randle underperformed during New York’s first-round playoff series encounter with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, and the club fell in five games. New York missed the playoffs the next year. And though Randle put up typically prolific numbers, his defensive liabilities began to irk some fans.

After adding eventual All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson in the summer of 2022, the Knicks became a perennial playoff team again — this time, however, Brunson was clearly the team’s best player. Randle, meanwhile, was hurt in both the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, though he was able to play through the pain in 2022. New York has advanced to the second round for the past two straight seasons.

This year, the Knicks are looking to return to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2013. To that end, the Knicks traded to acquire All-Defensive Team swingman Miles Bridges.

Read More: Knicks Build Out Mikal Bridges Deal with Additional Sign-And-Trade

New York followed that up by extending Brunson on a team-friendly deal, as well as combo forward OG Anunoby.

Randle, who possesses a $30 million player option for 2025-26, has been eligible for an extension of his own since Aug. 3. The three-time All-Star power forward can ink such a deal at any point through June 30. Should he opt out, Randle would become an unrestricted free agent.

During an interview with Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Thibodeau unpacked his own expectations for Randle’s 2024-25 season with the team.

Read more: Knicks Waiting to Negotiate Contract Extension with All-Star

“I think Julius has always adapted to whatever challenge he’s faced each year. People forget the level that he’s played at,” Thibodeau said. “Four years ago, he had a monster season and we didn’t have the shooting we have now, so the floor is going to be more open. We got a glimpse of that in January, which was his last month of basketball.”

Last year for the 50-win Knicks, Randle averaged 24.0 points on .472/.311/.781 shooting splits, 9.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 0.5 steals in his 46 healthy games. He dislocated his right shoulder on Jan. 27 and had to go under the knife for a season-ending surgery in April.

Thibodeau, for one, seemed optimistic Randle can have a big year for New York if he remains healthy.

“People forget the guy was 25 (points), 10 (rebounds), and five (assists per game). He’s had a lot of success and he’s been a big part of winning the last four years in New York,” Randle added. “The more good players you have, the more sacrifices you have to make. Not only by Julius, by everybody.”

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