3 Critical things the Knicks still need to do after hot start to offseason

2. Evaluate Julius Randle's future

Julius Randle is among two top Knicks players eligible to sign an extension this summer. Jalen Brunson is the other. If the point guard extends this offseason, it'll be at a severe pay cut. As beneficial as that'd be to New York, that decision will be up to Brunson.

The same goes for Randle. If the Knicks offer him an extension that he doesn't like, he'll be poised to enter what will likely be the final season of his current contract. He has a $30.9 million player option in 2025-26.

Randle took a pay cut with the four-year, $117 million extension he signed a few years ago. As of August 3, he'll be eligible to sign a four-year deal worth up to $181.5 million. If he wants the full amount that the Knicks can offer him, there's a chance the front office won't extend him this summer.

In May, The Athletic's Fred Katz reported that New York isn't trying to trade Randle but understood that a deal for a star could require a trade (subscription required). The Knicks made their biggest splash of the summer by trading for Mikal Bridges. Although several mock trades involving New York and Bridges had Randle going to Brooklyn, that isn't something the Knicks' would've ever done.

Like Thibodeau, the 29-year-old wants to stay in New York. Anything can happen, but what's already happened this summer is a good indication of Randle's future with the Knicks.