Julius Randle laughs off rumors that he requested a trade from Knicks

Wednesday was just another day in the life of the New York Knicks. After snapping their four-game win streak against the Hornets, Julius Randle addressed the media about the rumors that have been floating around in recent days.

Oh, how things can drastically change. At this time last year, Randle was New York’s newly crowned savior. He earned his first All-Star nod and was a large part of the reason why the Knicks finished in fourth place in the East and made it back to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.

In Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, Randle’s name was met with boos when he was announced in the starting lineup. That’s nothing new, though. It was only a couple of months ago that Randle responded to ongoing boos from fans with a thumbs-down gesture and a not-so-loving sentiment.

Randle’s dip in performance and body language this season have been red flags, which has paved the way for trade rumors. On Tuesday, WFAN’s Carton and Roberts said that Randle requested a trade from the Knicks after Monday’s 109-104 win over the Bulls.

To no surprise, the 27-year-old forward was asked about that a night later. His response might be surprising to fans, considering that to the naked eye it appears that he no longer wants to play in New York.

Julius Randle denies reports that he’s requested a trade from the Knicks.

Let’s be real. If Randle no longer wants to play for the Knicks or has even thought about the possibility of a future that doesn’t involve New York, he’s not going to sit in front of the media and admit it.

The same goes for Tom Thibodeau, who was asked pregame if he believes that Randle wants to remain with the Knicks for the extent of his four-year, $117 million extension that he signed before the 2021-22 season.

That answer makes no sense, but once again, the topic of a possible Randle trade isn’t something that Thibodeau is going to discuss openly, or at least not yet.

Although Randle said that the rumor isn’t true (and it likely isn’t), that doesn’t mean that he won’t request a trade during the offseason. As of right now, he’s sticking with the response that if it doesn’t come from him directly, it’s false.

Meanwhile, that wasn’t the most interesting part of Randle’s reply. He maintained his stance that he wants to be in New York long-term (hint why he signed an extension) and that he’s “built” for playing in a place like The Mecca.

We all know that Randle’s infamous for his ‘bully ball’ which is something that fans appreciate. You have to be a different level of tough to call MSG your home court, and while Randle possesses those qualities on the court, his actions in the win over Chicago a few nights ago weren’t reassuring. He addressed that, too.

When he was asked about his relationship with the city, he echoed the same sentiments that we’ve been hearing for a year now.

"“I’m cool. My goal and what I work hard for is to make the city proud, to make the fans proud. I play for my teammates, I play for my family It’s as simple as that, bro. Nothing more than that,” he said. “From the inside looking out it is what it is. You know? I understand that a lot of times you’ve got to just let your game do the talking and go from there. Like I said, I love the city. My family loves it here. I’m a Knick. That’s what I love. I love being a Knick.”"

There’s plenty of speculation flying around, but we won’t know the truth until the summer. Until then, the rumors are going to continue to fly. The main question remains the same, though. Will Randle be on New York’s roster on 2022-23 opening night?

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