NY Knicks: What a possible Julius Randle trade could mean for team’s future stars
By Kramer Smith
The New York Knicks announced Julius Randle will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season with a quad injury. The lingering problem has seen Randle miss several games over the past month, and with the team being officially eliminated from playoff contention, it makes sense to get a head start on his rehab.
The major question isn’t will Randle be ready for next season. The question is will he be suiting up in a new uniform at the start of next year?
This season has been distinctively frustrating for the Knicks star following an electric 2021 campaign, a year Randle led the team to its first playoff appearance since 2012-13.
Early optimism was that New York had found its answer in the Most Improved Player, which led to the two sides agreeing to a four-year, $117 million deal after the season concluded.
It’s now a year later, and the fear is that optimism may have been premature. The Knicks failed to even make the play-in tournament and there are more questions about the team’s future than ever before. The rumors that Randle’s frustrations are leading to a trade request have been deflected, but it’s a long NBA summer.
I’m not here to discuss what a Randle trade looks like, or who might be possible suitors. I’m not here to delve into his ghastly season and figure out what went wrong.
If the Knicks decide to move on from Randle, it’ll be time to discuss a running trend with New York’s stars and their untimely departures from the franchise.
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Changing the New York Knicks’ destiny
The Knicks have been nothing short of an NBA mockery for much of the past decade. Year after year, the franchise has failed to present anything more than mediocrity on the basketball court, and it’s translated into perpetual purgatory for struggling New York fans.
In hopes to re-brand the franchise, the Leon Rose administration took several off-court actions to change the perception of the desolate franchise. They added William Wesley, better known as ‘World Wide Wes’ and once revered as one of the NBA’s most influential power brokers as their senior analyst.
They collaborated with mega clothing brand ‘Kith’ to create a Knicks inspired collection, also influencing the fan-favorite black alternates the team has worn over the past two seasons.
The hope was they could create enough positive brand content for the team that their struggles of the past would remain there, and that they could finally influence big-name stars to come to The Mecca.
The hope was to bring Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to New York and form the NBA’s most lethal offensive duo. Of course, they inevitably did come to NYC, but not to the side of the river the team had hoped for. They, instead, settled to bring former lottery pick Julius Randle.
Julius Randle’s legacy with the New York Knicks
Randle’s three years in New York have been a roller coaster. He has been scapegoated, boo’d, and loathed. He’s received MVP chants, applause, and standing ovations. He’s been Knicks fans’ favorite player and their most hated aggravation.
Whichever side of the coin you land on, we can all agree a change of scenery might do Randle and New York fans equal amounts of good. The rising play of RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin have paved the way for Randle’s exit, and it’s believed calls about Randle’s availability will take place throughout the summer.
So, what message does this send to future Knicks stars? Carmelo Anthony will never receive enough credit for lasting as long as he did and in the way he did as a Knick.
The team failed to build around him every year following 2012-13 and wasted much of what Anthony had left in the tank. Eventually, he too needed a similar change of scenery, finally waiving his no-trade clause in 2017.
Two years later, rising All-Star Kristaps Porzingis found himself on the trade block as well, openly deciding he was ready to move on from New York and forced his way to Dallas in yet another blockbuster trade.
Similarly, the Knicks find themselves at another similar crossroads with Randle, as he may be the next New York star to be shipped out following a breakout All-Star season.
All of these trades are different, but share very similar variables that lead to the untimely departure. All of these trades came at times following periods of success and hope, quickly followed by a fiasco of disgruntlement.
It’s something the franchise worked so hard to fix it seemed. It truly felt like we were all entering a new era of Knicks basketball, but now it seems all too familiar with the team missing the playoffs and looking to offload another high-caliber player.
From the outside looking in, the superstar New York so openly covets is going to be hard to convince when the team struggles to retain and support their own stars. It’s been a running trend dating back to the 90s, as other teams build around their superstars, the Knicks give reasons for theirs to leave.
New York Knicks’ lack of accountability
Who’s to blame for all this? Is it the fans’ hostility and lack of patience that overcomes these stars? Is it the lack of accountability that we’ve seen repeated by New York’s head coaches? Is it simply the ego players get when they become the face of the Knicks? Is it the pressure we put on their success?
Whatever it is, New York continues to show that it lacks the fundamental necessities needed to attract and retain star talent.
Randle’s future is uncertain, but regardless of what happens this summer, his struggles have been showcased this season and there’s significant room to build on to get the Knicks where they want to be.
New York’s attention now should be on breaking the cycle and fully investing in RJ Barrett as the team’s cornerstone player. Barrett shows all the signs of being the player that can change things for the Knicks and the franchise hopes that he’s the playing card that finally leads to them winning a big hand.
