Roster moves the New York Knicks need to make this offseason: 5. Trade Julius Randle
The Knicks gave Randle a four-year, $107 million extension after they made the playoffs last season. Unfortunately for the Knicks, he was unable to produce at the same level that he did in the 2020-21 season, and this was to the detriment of the team.
Randle’s scoring went from 24.1 points per game last season to 20.1 this season. He was not able to collect as many assists this season either, despite having better shooters around him. He went from 6.0 per game down to 5.1. While these numbers do not seem that different, the NBA is a league in which small margins matter.
However, the number that took the biggest plummet for Randle was his three-point shooting. He shot the long ball at 41.1 percent last season, which made the rest of the team harder to defend. This past year, Randle’s shooting standardized back towards his career number (which is 33.2 percent). Randle shot the three-ball at only 30.8 percent.
Randle is only due $23.7 million next season, and his contract does not exceed $30 million for the remaining three seasons on it. The Knicks should be able to get a decent haul for Randle, or failing that, a couple of solid players who can help the team move forward.