Getty Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks looks on during warm ups.
New York Knicks All-Star forward Julius Randle is back with Creative Artists Agency just less than a year since he moved to WME Sports before the season.
According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Randle is back with his CAA agent Aaron Mintz, who negotiated his past two contracts with the Knicks.
Randle’s return to CAA, whose basketball division was previously headed by Leon Rose before he became the Knicks president, was an interesting move as the three-time NBA All-Star is eligible for extension this summer.
The most the Knicks could offer Randle this offseason is four years, $190.2 million. However, the Knicks could also delay the negotiation until after next season when the three-time All-Star forward has a $29 million player option.
Randle underwent a season-ending surgery on his dislocated right shoulder last month. It marked the second year in a row Randle had a serious injury toward the end of the season. Last year, he had an ankle injury which limited his mobility in the playoffs.
His latest injury also kept him from earning his $1.28 million bonus for 65 games played in the regular season.
Randle only appeared in 46 games, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He is expected to be ready for the training camp in fall.
Randle left his former Knicks teammate RJ Barrett, now with the Toronto Raptors midseason, at WME Sports under power agent Bill Duffy, who also represents Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic.
Knicks ‘Willing to Offer Almost Anything’ for Devin Booker
Randle’s future in New York could be in peril if Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker becomes available.
According to PHNX Sports’ Suns lead writer Gerald Bourguet, the Knicks are will to offer anything except for Jalen Brunson.
“Adding a young superstar with four All-Star selections and one All-NBA selection (and possibly a second to follow soon) like Booker to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference makes sense from the Knicks’ perspective. He and Jalen Brunson would form an electrifying, high-scoring backcourt for one the NBA’s most pleasant surprises, and according to a source, New York would be willing to offer almost anything to make that pairing happen,” Bourguet wrote on April 29.
That means Randle is not untouchable.
The Knicks could offer Randle and either Donte DiVincenzo or Mitchell Robinson plus draft picks. Randle and Robinson would give the Suns the toughness they needed under Frank Vogel to surround a Kevin Durant-Bradley Beal combo.
But if the Knicks wanted to retain Randle, they could offer both Robinson and DiVincenzo plus Bojan Bogdanovic as the salary filler and all the draft picks Suns would ask in return.
Knicks Miss Julius Randle in Playoffs
With injuries mounting, the Knicks sorely miss Julius Randle’s services in the playoffs. While they lead the Philadelphia 76ers 3-2, the Knicks are missing a consistent second scorer next to Brunson.
With Randle out, the Sixers defense have zeroed in on Brunson, who wilted in the closing moments of their 112-106 overtime loss in Game 5.
The Knicks also lost Bojan Bogdanovic to a season-ending foot surgery after Game 4.