Julius Randle Opens Up About New York Knicks Future

There has been a lot of attention put on the New York Knicks about what they could do this summer. There are some major decisions to make, one of those involving their All-Star power forward, Julius Randle.

Julius Randle, who was named to his third All-Star game this season, is eligible for a contract extension. There have been a lot of rumors swirling about whether the New York Knicks would offer him such a deal.

Unlike Jalen Brunson, who is also eligible for an extension, Julius Randle has limited leverage. Brunson made the All-NBA Second Team and put forth incredible performances all postseason despite being hampered by injury himself.

He can hold out for a supermax contract in the 2025 NBA offseason if he wants. Randle doesn’t have that luxury. Should New York actually offer him an extension, he may jump at the opportunity to take it.

“I’ve always said from the very beginning I would love to be here in New York and I would love to continue to add on to what the guys did in the playoffs,” Randle said, per New York Post on May 31. “I feel like that was my personal — biggest personal goal, or I’d say team goal in a sense, was when I got here is to be able to build and compete and to be at the point where we’re at now, where it’s an actual possibility [to win a championship].

So really, that’s what my focus is, doing whatever I can to make sure I get healthy and get back and make sure I’m ready whenever we start playing again and contribute to winning. That’s really all my focus is and that stuff always in my career has taken care of itself.”

When contract talks aren’t being had, Julius Randle is being included in trade rumors. If the team wants to upgrade their roster with a major splash, he is one of the players who could be involved in a trade package.

Unless the New York Knicks can acquire an MVP-caliber player, there is no real incentive to trade Julius Randle. He may not be the perfect fit, but what the team accomplished in January with him and OG Anunoby healthy should not be discredited.

New York was the best team in the NBA for four weeks after Anunboy was acquired from the Toronto Raptors. Injuries derailed what could have been a special season, and running things back with the same core, and locking Julius Randle in long-term is a viable route to take.