With no contract extension yet between Julius Randle and the New York Knicks, speculations about the three-time NBA All-Star forward’s future are rampant.
But if the Knicks would make Randle available, they would not get a fair value as one rival team told The Athletic’s Fred Katz.
“Here’s what makes discussions about hypothetical Randle trades so difficult: I don’t believe there is a team in the NBA that would value the three-time All-Star more than the Knicks do.
I texted this question to someone who works in a rival team’s front office and received an answer I expected: “Neutral, at best,” the person said,” Katz wrote in his mailbag on August 21.
Randle is extension-eligible this summer. He can sign as much as a four-year, $181.5 million extension as early as August 3. But the Knicks, after locking up star point guard Jalen Brunson to a team-friendly extension and trading for his Villanova pal Mikal Bridges, have yet to offer Randle an extension.
SNY’s Ian Begley reported on July 7 that “the extension talks aren’t at the forefront for either the Knicks or Randle.”
Katz added that the Knicks are not shopping Randle around.
Knicks Making Huge Bet on Julius Randle’s Market
Coming off a shoulder injury, Randle enters the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $117 million contract extension he signed in 2021. He could become an unrestricted free agent after this season if he opts out of his $30.9 million player option.
But the Knicks are betting on Randle returning after next season on team-friendly terms, following Brunson’s lead with how next season’s free agency is shaping up.
First, Randle would not be the best player available, like Paul George is this offseason, if Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler also opt out of their player options. Other potential marquee free agents are Brandon Ingram, Jonathan Kuminga and the Houston Rockets pair of young studs Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, and Aaron Gordon.
Ingram is in the same boat with Randle as the Pelicans are not offering him his max extension. Kuminga, Green and Sengun are all extension-eligible this summer but their respective teams are reluctant to offer them their full-scare rookie max. They all could become restricted free agents if they do not get extended. Gordon’s future in Denver will depend on the Nuggets’ appetite to dip into the second apron.
Second, there are no title-contending teams that will have large cap space like the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.
The projected teams to have the largest cap room next summer are the Brooklyn Nets ($49.5 million), Houston Rockets ($30.6 million), Washington Wizards ($25.2 million) and San Antonio Spurs ($23.2 million), per Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Randle, who will be 32 in the 2025-26 season, will be heading to the backend of his prime by the time his new contract begins.
Knicks Divided on Julius Randle’s Fit
The Knicks are divided on Randle, who is coming off a shoulder injury that limited him to 46 games last season, according to Begley.
“On Randle, some in the organization believe that Randle can fit well with this group and think that Randle’s play in January – after the OG Anunoby trade – supports that point,” Begley wrote on July 7.
The Knicks went 12-2 in January with a healthy trio of Randle, Brunson and Anunoby.
“Others are concerned about Randle going into this pivotal season with free agency looming and the challenges that may present. In addition, some decision-makers aren’t as bullish about the general fit of the current group,” Begley continued.
Randle earned his second straight All-Star berth, the third in his career all with the Knicks before he went down with a dislocated shoulder. He averaged 24.0 points on 47.2% shooting, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 35.4 minutes per game.
Incorporating him back with the Knicks that has already become a Brunson team — being named the team captain cemented it — with another ex-Villanova in the fold will be interesting to watch this season.
