Does Julius Randle’s bizarre Instagram activity signal end of run with Knicks?

Ah, we’ve reached the part of the Julius Randle saga where New York Knicks fans are analyzing his moves on social media. Will he be back? Or will he leave? According to his Instagram activity, all signs are pointing towards a New York exit.

If you’re already tired of this speculation, get ready for a wild ride. Until Randle formally requests a trade (if that happens), this is going to wear on through the offseason. These cryptic moves aren’t doing anyone a favor.

Remember last week when Randle denied that he requested a trade? His words were likely true, but that doesn’t rule out the fact that he can still request a trade. Just because he hasn’t done so yet doesn’t mean that he isn’t going to do so at all.

However, it’s telling that the 27-year-old has deleted (or archived) all of the pictures on his Instagram account of him in a Knicks uniform. That is all but one. That isn’t all, though. Randle also unfollowed his teammates.

Julius Randle went on an anti-New York Knicks spree on Instagram.

Make it stop. No, seriously. It’s odd that Randle would choose to delete the pictures that associate him with New York, except for one of him and RJ Barrett on the cover of SLAM Magazine last May.

Perhaps that was a calculated move by Randle. Knicks fans have crowned Barrett as their new king, and rightfully so given the way that he’s played since the start of 2022, but in doing so, they’ve pitted Randle against Barrett.

Two things can be true – Randle no longer wants to be in New York and he wants to keep his friendship with Barrett intact. However, as of now, the former All-Star’s maintaining his stance that he and his family want to remain in the city.

Randle left photos with his son Kyden from 2021 All-Star weekend on his account, as well as a video of him in his uniform at a photoshoot with Kyden saying “We here” that was posted last May.

He announced the birth of his second son, Jayce, in October of 2021 with a photo of the then-newborn lying on Randle’s No. 30 jersey. That’s his most recent post.

However, Randle left ‘New York Knick’ in his bio. Technically, he’s still a player for the Knicks, but that still being in his bio makes matters more confusing. At the same time, it doesn’t make sense for him to go on a New York purge.

In other news, he also unfollowed his wife Kendra and deleted pictures of her from his page. Randle only follows two accounts and they “belong” to his two sons. What’s his motive? It’s hard to tell.

Randle signed a four-year, $170 million extension with the Knicks after the team’s fourth-place conference finish last year. In case you’re not aware, his extension hasn’t gone into effect yet.

If Randle does request a trade, New York’s front office is going to have a lot of work to do. If only we all knew then what we know now. That’d make life a lot easier. As for now, the rumors are going to continue to fly.

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