Getty Could Randle really be shipped out of town?
The New York Knicks have a Julius Randle problem on their hands as their star forward followed up his All-NBA campaign with a disappointing season.
While his stats are still solid at 20 points per game, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, his efficiency has dropped and it doesn’t seem like he’s able to carry the team to victory like he was last year.
RJ Barrett has also emerged as a player with serious star power this season, and he quickly won over the fans while Randle has left a sour taste in their mouths.
The New York Post’s Marc Berman reports there’s chatter around the league that Randle could be trying to force his way off the Knicks through his behavior.
When asked if he did request a trade from the Knicks, Randle quickly shut down any rumors.
Randle Clears the Air
Julius Randle was asked if he requested a trade after the Bulls’ game Monday – as WFAN’s Craig Carton said on air in his “unconfirmed rumor.” “That’s not true, bro. That’s just not true, simple as that, it’s not true at all.
Randle didn’t do anything to feed the rumors, but he instead put an end to them the best he could.
“That’s not true, bro,” he said when asked if he wanted out. “That’s just not true, simple as that, it’s not true at all.”
Of course, him saying it’s not true is something he was likely to do anyways, and it’s not going to do a whole lot for fans who want him gone. With Barrett becoming the new fan-favorite, there are a lot of fans who would like to see Randle shipped to another team in the offseason.
The major hangup in that happening is his four-year, $117 million extension that kicks after the year. It’s not a ton of money in the grand scheme of things when you look at the numbers Randle puts up, but it could be the cause of some hesitation considering how things have gone this year for the Knicks.
After having the backing of the Madison Square Garden crowd last year, Randle now has drawn their ire and even found himself hearing some boos during his introduction in the loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
What’s Next?
GettyJulius Randle, Evan Fournier and RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks look on during a game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Knicks will have some tough decisions to make in the offseason about what to do with their forward.
It’s clear they envisioned a future with him when they handed out the big contract, but things have gotten off to a rocky start. There were some proposed trades that looked at sending Randle to the Kings in exchange for young point guard De’Aaron Fox.
This would solve the point guard problem for the Knicks for the foreseeable future, and it’d also unload a presumably unhappy Randle. The Kings appear to be in a constant state of rebuild, so it’s not clear if they’d want to take on a big contract like that, but stranger things have happened.
As it stands right now, the Knicks and Randle are going to finish the year together. Depending on what happens in the offseason, Knicks fans might have a wildly different roster to root for or the team could decide to run it back for the third season in a row with largely the same core.
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