Dear Julius Randle,
Writing this is admittedly bittersweet, even if it makes sense for basketball reasons. The Knicks trading for Karl-Anthony Towns is near “But it’s Zava” territory for basketball. He wasn’t going to come cheap.
And yet, it’s hard to not feel sad about this trade. You talked about wanting to retire with the New York Knicks and were sincere about it. Not like Dwight Howard stringing the Orlando Magic along for over a year before being traded to the Lakers. No, your love for us and our city was real.
Which is what makes your move to Minnesota even sadder. You, Julius Randle, a former first-round pick and one-time free agency question mark, chose New York not once, but twice. Once in your first free agency in 2019, and again with an extension two years later.
Nobody knew it then, but the Knicks signing Julius Randle was the first step in the franchise’s resurrection. New York was a basketball laughingstock when the former Kentucky one-and-done arrived.
Today, the Knicks look near-legendary. Jalen Brunson may be the Knicks’ torchbearer, but Julius Randle was the match lighting the flame.
And yet, Julius, not everyone believed in you. Remember, you were basically the Knicks’ consolation prize after Steve Mills and Scott Perry whiffed on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They were certain the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center would outshine Madison Square Garden.
Well, the World’s Most Famous Arena has the receipts. KD is still ring-chasing, this time in Phoenix. Irving soap-opera’d his way out of Brooklyn and onto the Dallas Mavericks with Luka Doncic. Mikal Bridges, who the Nets acquired from Phoenix for Durant, moved across the Manhattan Bridge in a summertime deal.
New York, on the other hand, is a true title contender. All thanks to gambling on a former first-round pick who was then known more for breaking his leg in his first NBA game than his basketball skills. A strong contract year with the Pelicans wasn’t much to go on in free agency.
It took a rough first year and a pandemic-shortened season, but signing you, Julius Deion Randle, saved the New York Knicks. Five glorious years and the numbers to prove it: 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Eight triple-doubles, a number that likely would have grown if not for an awful shoulder injury last year.
Which, at its core, is what makes the trade hurt even more. Julius Randle was New York tough through and through, and this year was supposed to be running it back with him healthy. That brand of bully-ball, from dominating the paint to nailing a three to a butter-smooth midrange jumper, was missed in the postseason.
Fans can harp on the bad stuff all they want. Playing on an injured ankle/vanishing in the 2023 East Semis against Miami. The sudden immaturity that dragged the Knicks down in 2021-22, one year after their miracle return to the playoffs.
In the end, it just came down to simple business. Towns gives the Knicks something they’ve been lacking for too long: a true center who can shoot. There was no deal happening without Randle’s expiring contract.
Which is why, in the long run, fans won’t complain about yours and the Knicks’ failure to agree on a new deal. Again, this wasn’t a long-simmering behind-the-scenes beef. Just business.
We’ll instead remember your accomplishments on the court, like being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2021. Or your three All-Star berths and two All-NBA selections.
We’ll miss the family too. Your wife Kendra and son Kyden were MSG fixtures, and we can only hope Kyden follows in your footsteps and dons a Knicks jersey someday.
Anyway, I’m rambling now. You did it a lot better in your farewell post on Instagram, a simple “NEW YORK! THANK YOU.”
No, Julius Randle. Thank YOU. And good luck in Minnesota, you’re joining a great squad alongside Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert.
All our love and a healthy BING-BONG,
The New York Knicks fans
FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: A well-deserved New York thank you to Julius Randle | Elite Sports NY