The New York Knicks’ offseason’s set to officially begin after this upcoming Sunday’s game against Toronto. It could be the last time that a couple of players suit up for New York, or if you’re Julius Randle, perhaps that time has already come and gone.
Randle’s out for the rest of the season due to a sore right quadriceps. He’s missed time for it already, but before last Saturday’s game against Cleveland, it was reported that it’d likely sideline him for the remainder of the year.
I hope that it’s something that won’t hinder the work that he puts in during the offseason, but it’s for the best for both parties that he’s out.
Due to Randle’s performance this year, Knicks fans haven’t been partial to him. He went from receiving “MVP” chants last season at Madison Square Garden to getting booed.
Given the circumstances, the idea of a possible trade has been a talking point, although the power forward recently said that New York is still the place that he and his family wants to be.
However, a trade isn’t out of the picture. There’s a lot that will go on between the end of the 2021-22 season and the start of 2022-23. Randle playing for another team isn’t a bizarre idea.
How will New York Knicks fans react to a possible Julius Randle trade?
I believe that all that needs to be said is that Randle doesn’t even receive a warm reception on his home court when his name is announced in the starting lineup.
Boos for Julius Randle in starting lineup intros.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) March 30, 2022
Playing for the Knicks isn’t comparable to suiting up for any other team in the NBA because New York fans are absolutely relentless. The buzz that surrounded the city last year was electric, but that same love has turned into hate for Randle.
The 27-year-old finished the year averaging 20.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. For the Knicks fans that are in favor of not trading Randle (and there doesn’t seem to be many), they point to his statistics and say that New York would be worse off without him.
It doesn’t matter that this season was the worst that Randle’s had since he commanded attention during his brief stint with the Pelicans. In retrospect, his four-year, $117 million extension could come back to haunt the Knicks’ front office this summer if he were to request a trade.
RJ Barrett deserves to sign a maximum rookie extension during the offseason, but because of Randle’s extension, fans are reluctant to see New York give Barrett that much money. What if he goes down the same path as Randle?
As a fan, it makes sense to be worried about that, but at 21-years-old, Barrett’s worked relentlessly to become the face of the Knicks’ franchise. There’s no reason to believe that he’s going to hit a wall in the same way that Randle has.
If Randle and New York bid adieu to each other in the coming months, fans will be joyous, but they shouldn’t forget about the hope that he gave them during the Knicks’ fourth-place finish in 2020-21.
It’ll be a bad breakup, but there’ll still be some good memories to look back on, right? Or will the bad ones outweigh the good ones?
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