A pair of New York Knicks insiders delivered an update this week that may disappoint some fans hoping the team trades power forward Julius Randle.
The New York Knicks franchise seems in the midst of a major long-term upswing. Yes, they missed the playoffs and even the NBA Play-In tournament last season. However, after seven straight seasons of being outside the postseason, the team has been in the playoffs in two of the last three years.
While summer addition Jalen Brunson was a massive part of why the team reached the semifinals in 2023, a player that deserves a large amount of the credit for the New York Knicks return to prominence is Julius Randle. In the two seasons that they reached the postseason, Randle was an All-Star and played like one of the 20 best players in the sport.
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Nevertheless, the 28-year-old’s other two seasons in New York have frustrated Knicks fans. In his debut year, he did not live up to the hopes of being a major addition in the summer of 2019, and last season he took a notable step back in production and played a huge role in their 37-45 finish.
Furthermore, in the playoffs, he has seen a steep decline in his production, especially when it comes to his shooting percentage. It has frustrated many New York Knicks fans desperate for their first championship since 1973, and many would like to see the team trade Randle. Including Knicks supporter and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.
New York Knicks insiders explain why a Julius Randle trade is unlikely in 2023
However, it looks like that may not be happening anytime soon. In a new edition of the “Hoops Hype podcast,” Michael Scotto revealed that there are some in the Knicks front office that “value his toughness and his ability to stay on the court” in the current load management era. New York Daily News Knicks writer Stefan Bondy added to the conversation by claiming it could be difficult for the team to trade him for similar value because “I think that they’re going to have trouble finding value for him the way that they value him.”
- Julius Randle stats (’22-’23): 25.1 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 4.1 APG, 34% 3PT
SNY New York Knicks insider Ian Begley also chimed in during the podcast with another reason why a trade is highly unlikely this summer. “To do anything just to get him off the roster that’s not going to happen unless someone else takes over the team because they value Julius,” Begley said. “There’s a personal connection with Julius, William Wesley, and Leon Rose. I don’t see them discarding him because of what happened in the postseason.”
Considering that all three are NBA insiders, with two being Knicks beat writers, it sure seems like Randle has major supporters inside the organization, and the only way he is playing somewhere else in 2023 is because he is just one part of a major deal for a superstar, and those sorts of trades don’t come along often as New York Knicks fans are well aware of.