Report: Belief Knicks Could Trade Julius Randle

How the New York Knicks handle Julius Randle could come to define yet another fateful offseason.

Randle’s future is in relative flux following a rollercoaster season that ended in January: the fifth-year Manhattanite overcame a slow start to post his usual production (24 points, 9.2 rebounds) before a shoulder injury prematurely closed his campaign. The three-time All-Star is signed on for two more years, but is eligible for a nine-figure extension as he turns 30 in November.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the relative roster controversy is enough to have other teams “monitoring” the situation, especially if Randle declines a $32.4 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign.

“Teams are monitoring this situation for sure, because how (the Knicks) handle that extension situation, if that is a conversation, what transpires, I think that will be interesting,” Charania said on FanDuel’s web series “Run It Back.” “You think about movable assets, salaries, obviously Julius Randle’s got the number if you are to make a big, big trade.”

Randle’s ultimate metropolitan legacy currently stands as a point of contention among Knicks fans.

While the first-round pick has turned himself into an undeniable star and helped the Knicks start to flip their fortunes in the new decade, injuries have come to define his time in Manhattan. Randle’s slow start was partly brought about by offseason ankle surgery that rushed him back into the Knicks’ 2023 playoff lineup and he obviously wasn’t able to partake in the most recent run that ended on Sunday afternoon.

While the Knicks have plenty of assets (such as a draft pick surplus, including two first-rounders in the upcoming selections), the timing of Randle’s financial drama almost couldn’t be worse: New York management also has to think about an extension for Brunson as well as a way to keep in-season arrival OG Anunoby on board, as the former Toronto Raptor is set to hit the free agency market this summer.

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