With Leon Rose taking over as team president of the New York Knicks, Julius Randle’s future with the team is anything but certain.
After missing on max-level free agents in 2019, the New York Knicks pivoted to signing Julius Randle to a three-year, $62 million contract. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, there’s a chance that Randle doesn’t make it to the end of that contract.
Apparently, team president Leon Rose is open to moving Randle if presented with the right deal.
Berman writes:
“Despite his relationship with Randle, a CAA client, Rose is certainly open to either dealing Randle or not executing his contract option for the 2021-22 season, though in that case, he still would count for $4 million on the salary cap. Leading into the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the Knicks were willing to move Randle and had talks with Charlotte.”
The power forward had his ups and downs in his first year with the Knickerbockers. Although he was the team’s go-to guy for much of the season, he struggled with poor shot selection and turnovers at times.
With that said, Randle is a good player who can be a high-level contributor on a playoff team, if he’s put in the right situation. He’s probably best suited as a third option — or even as a super-sixth-man for someone.
Unfortunately, he was forced to be the No. 1 option for the Knicks for most of the season. By trading the 25-year-old, the Knicks could clear some cap space and give young guys like RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox more opportunities on offense.
During these uncertain times, nothing is set in stone, including Randle’s future in New York.
