Things were looking bright for the New York Knicks coming into the season and it finally looked like they had their first star since Carmelo Anthony in Julius Randle.
Randle brought home a lot of hardware last season including an All-Star appearance, an All-NBA selection and the Most Improved Player award. It was expected he’d continue that type of performance into this season, and perhaps come away with a better version of him.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, the exact opposite scenario has played out and his numbers are down across the board, especially when it comes to shooting percentages. He’s not the only reason New York is struggling this season, but he’s a big factor in it all since the offense runs through it.
He’s been the subject of much fan ire this season, and members of the media have frequently called him out. Stephen A. Smith, a massive Knicks fan himself, called out Julius Randle’s attitude on the February 3 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today and said the team should look at trading their star.
Stephen A. Calls For Trade
GettyNew York Knicks star Julius Randle reacts during a game against the Indiana Pacers at MSG.
With the Knicks playing so poorly this season, Smith doesn’t even want the Knicks to make the play-in tournament because it believes it would send the wrong message.
“Losing and missing the playoffs will send to the right message: back to the drawing board,” he said.
While it’s certainly easier said than done, Smith also called on the Knicks to at least listen to offers for the struggling forward.
“I would have said no before his attitude showed me something different,” he said when asked if the Knicks should trade Randle. “You have to show the right attitude … Of course, they should entertain trading him. They absolutely should at least entertain it.”
There are reports that teams have shown an interest in Randle, but it’s unclear how willing the Knicks are to giving up their star forward. This would be a massive shift in the way the offense is run as Randle does have a lot of it run through him.
Trade Deadline February 10
GettyCam Reddish still isn’t getting consistent playing time for the Knicks.
The trade deadline is coming up fast and the Knicks have about a week to determine what pieces are worth hanging on to and what are worth dealing.
After reports suggested the team is open to selling off some of their veteran pieces, it seems that at least one of those vets, Alec Burks, is safe for the time being.
If there’s interest from another team, Kemba Walker seems like a good candidate to be moved. He’s already been banished from the rotation once, and other than a good week since he returned, he’s been a shell of himself.
Fournier is also an option to be moved, but there’s no telling if there are any buyers willing to take on his massive $78 million contract. Fans will have to wait a week to see if there are more moves to be had.
It seems like there has to be one if the Knicks plan on getting the newly-acquired Cam Reddish into the rotation on a consistent basis.
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New York Knicks Pressed to ‘Entertain’ Trade for $117 Million Star