The New York Knicks have had a fairly successful offseason. With the team displaying immense promise last season by reaching the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks front office acquired Mikal Bridges to make the roster stronger. Existing players on the roster were also rewarded for the 2023-2024 campaign’s result. While Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Precious Achiuwa were given contract extensions, the franchise hasn’t been too convinced to pay Julius Randle the hefty amount that he is eligible for.
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Randle signed a four-year, $118 million deal in 2021 and is already eligible for a renewal of his contract. He’s eligible to receive a max extension worth $181 million for a similar duration as the last contract. However, despite the massive pay cut taken by Brunson, the Knicks don’t believe that the forward is worth spending almost $45 million on per year.
On ESPN’s NBA Today, the panel spoke about the crossroads that the Knicks and Randle are at. Tim Legler explained how Randle is significantly bigger than the remaining wings on the team. Unlike Bridges and Anunoby, the 29-year-old can match up well against other big men in the league and has the advantage of posting up on opponents smaller than him.
“He provides something that Knicks desperately need – a bigger guy that can go get his own shot. Because their wings now are mainly going to be mostly spot-up type guys. Obviously, everything revolves around Brunson, so he (Randle) represents that big wing that can win matchups, he can beat bigger guys off the dribble, he can post up smaller guys,” Legler said.
Richard Jefferson chimed in on the argument and claimed that Randle needed to accept a smaller role and contract value if he wanted the opportunity to win. Jefferson supported his take by claiming that forwards like Chris Bosh and Kevin Love had to do the same to win championships with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.
“Chris Bosh he had to dial back to win some championships, Kevin Love had to dial back and you talk about power forwards that were hybrids but they were playing with other ball dominant guards that’s what Chris Bosh was that’s what Kevin Love was. So to me if you’re going to have a big and you’re saying ‘Hey, if I want to be a part of this if I want to go and try and win championships, I have to take a lesser role’. But every time you’re on a great team lesser roles come with that,” Jefferson said.
Tom Thibodeau’s boys were severely shorthanded during the latter end of the season. Despite missing several key pieces, Brunson and Co. managed to make it past the first round of the playoffs, defeating Joel Embiid and the 76ers. Now that the entire squad is healthy, with Randle and Bridges being the second and third option respectively, the Knicks have a shot at dethroning the Boston Celtics in the East.
Hence, it makes sense for the former Kentucky Wildcat to be part of the squad for one more season. If there is no real success, he could opt out of his contract after the 2024-2025 campaign, test the free agency, and join a franchise willing to fill his pockets.
But if the Knicks don’t win nor do they show serious signs of being title contenders for the subsequent season, Julius Randle would deny any deal potentially worth $35 million per year.
