Knicks open to trading Julius Randle?

With the NBA’s plan to return for the 2019-20 in place, the Knicks are officially in the offseason stage as the organization was not one of the 22 teams summoned to Orlando.

In addition to searching for a new head coach, newly minted team president Leon Rose will also have to focus on building the roster for next season. Last summer’s big free-agent signing, Julius Randle, is someone the team would be open to trading, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

The Knicks have already explored moving Randle, as the team had talks with the Hornets ahead of this year’s trade deadline. Randle signed a three-year, $63M deal last summer after New York failed to land Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving in free agency.

Randle had flashes of brilliance this season, but his defensive shortcomings and ball-dominant style of play failed to mesh with the Knicks’ core of youngsters. Randle averaged 19.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in 64 games, but his strong three-point shooting from a year prior fell to 27.7 percent.

As Berman notes, there are some financial implications that could hinder dealing Randle, but his $18.9M salary for next season is manageable. Also, still just 25 years old, Randle can be a helpful piece to an NBA team.