Julius Randle

Knicks Notes: Randle, Offseason Storylines, Report Card, Rose, More

At the center of the Knicks‘ offseason plans is the complicated future of forward Julius Randle. On one hand, the talented forward made his third All-Star appearance in the last four seasons and helped power New York to one of the best months in franchise history during a 12-2 January. On the other, he suffered an injury at the end of January and didn’t play a single second the rest of the season as New York pushed Indiana to seven games in the conference semifinals.

As the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy writes, it isn’t impossible to come up with a theoretical trade package in the Knicks’ well-publicized pursuit of another star that precludes Randle. However, both Bondy and The Athletic’s Fred Katz note that including Randle in such talks could be New York’s best way to adding star power.

The Knicks aren’t trying to trade Randle, at least not yet, according to Katz. However, his eligibility for an extension (which begins Aug. 3) complicates factors. If the Knicks decide to go the route of maintaining continuity, Randle can sign for as much as $181.5MM across four years. Thankfully for the Knicks, Randle’s extension eligibility beginning in early August works in their favor, Katz explains — August is late enough in the offseason to recognize the team’s potential (or lack thereof) to acquire another star in 2024, but it’s also early enough to keep him available by the time the Feb. 2025 trade deadline rolls around, as players are ineligible to be traded for six months after extension.

With an expensive roster on the horizon, the Knicks have soul searching to do this offseason, Katz writes. If they feel they’re contenders in August, they’ll likely lock everyone up. If they don’t, it will accelerate the timeline of any difficult decision, assuming those decisions aren’t made even earlier this upcoming offseason.

We have more Knicks notes:

  • The Knicks also have a decision to make on forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who was acquired via trade at the 2024 deadline but saw his production drop upon his arrival in New York. Bogdanovic, who ended the season injured, has only $2MM guaranteed if he’s released by June 28. If he isn’t, his guarantee increases to $19MM. As Katz writes in the same piece, what New York does with Bogdanovic could be telling for the rest of the offseason. If they keep him past June 28, it could signal a trade for a star, as his mid-sized salary would be useful for matching purposes. Katz speculates the Knicks could look to try and come to an agreement with Bogdanovic and postpone his trigger date until July.
  • Other offseason storylines outside of OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein‘s futures include whether the Knicks should move their Nos. 24 and 25 picks in the 2024 draft and the futures of free agents Alec Burks and Precious Achiuwa. Regarding the latter point, Katz writes Burks could command more than the minimum in unrestricted free agency, which would make it difficult to justify keeping a player who had an inconsistent second tenure with the team but who caught fire to end the year. As for Achiuwa, his restricted free agency gives New York more options, such as a potential sign-and-trade to another team.
  • Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart had the best seasons of any Knicks players, according to Bondy in his end-of-season report card (subscriber link). Brunson’s stardom and Hart’s role as the do-it-all glue guy earned them the top spots. Jericho Sims, who didn’t play consistent minutes even after New York’s roster was banged up, earned Bondy’s lowest grade. However, Bondy reports that opposing teams have expressed interest in trading for the 25-year-old big if he becomes available.
  • Knicks president Leon Rose declined to hold an end-of-season press conference, according to Katz (Twitter link). Katz points out that no Knicks official has spoken to media on the record since 2021 and Rose hasn’t done an individual press conference since taking over in 2020.
  • After seven straight seasons of failing to reach 40 wins from 2013-20, the Knicks are a respectable and strong team in the East’s hierarchy. Howard Beck of The Ringer takes a look back at how Rose helped morph the Knicks into what they are today and how it began with not trading for Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, whose arrival might have inhibited Brunson’s ability to break out on this scale.

2023/24 All-NBA Teams Announced

The All-NBA teams have been announced for the 2023/24 season (Twitter link).

A total of 99 media members voted on the honors, with players receiving five points for a First Team vote, three points for a Second Team vote and one point for a Third Team vote. This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic were the only two unanimous First Team selections, receiving 99 of 99 possible votes. Doncic earned 98 First Team votes but was named to the Second Team on one ballot. Antetokounmpo (88), Tatum (65), Brunson (37), Edwards (3), and Durant (2) were the only other players to receive multiple First Team votes.

Others receiving votes and their point totals are the CelticsJaylen Brown (50), the ClippersPaul George (16), the SixersTyrese Maxey (16), the TimberwolvesRudy Gobert (12), the SpursVictor Wembanyama (11), the PelicansZion Williamson (11), the Magic’s Paolo Banchero (10), the KingsDe’Aaron Fox (9) the Heat’s Bam Adebayo (7) and the BullsDeMar DeRozan (1).

This is the first season that a minimum number of games was required to qualify for most postseason awards under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Among the stars who might have received All-NBA consideration if they had reached the 65-game threshold are Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was the 2023 MVP, along with Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Knicks forward Julius Randle and Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis.

This was also the first season that voting for the All-NBA team was positionless, though that didn’t have a huge impact on the results, as the top two teams still feature two guards, a pair of forwards, and a center. The Third Team is made up a center, three guards, and just one forward.

Wembanyama, who received two votes for the Second Team and five for the Third Team, was the only rookie named on any of the ballots. Earlier this week, he became the first rookie to earn a spot on an All-Defensive First Team.

The Lakers with Davis and James and the Suns with Durant and Booker were the only teams to have multiple players honored. They were both eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Several players became eligible for salary increases or earned a bonus by achieving All-NBA honors. Read more here.

Knicks Notes: Offseason, Hart, Thibodeau, Anunoby

Trading for an All-Star has been a path the Knicks have explored in recent years as they’ve stockpiled future draft assets, but there are some new factors they’ll have to consider if and when they go star-hunting this summer, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

For one, the emergence of Jalen Brunson as a legitimate All-Star and top-five MVP finisher significantly reduces the likelihood of the franchise pursuing another ball-dominant guard, Bondy observes.

The team will also have to weigh Julius Randle‘s fit going forward after getting to within one game of the Eastern Conference finals without him. As Bondy notes, Randle would be an obvious candidate to be included in certain trades for a star to complement Brunson, both for salary-matching purposes and because it probably wouldn’t make sense for New York to have three impact players who all need the ball in their hands.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Speaking at a charity event this week, Josh Hart said he’d happily play a recruiting role on behalf of the Knicks if the club is going after a specific free agent or trade target this offseason, according to Dan Martin of The New York Post. “If I have to be on the phone with someone, I’ll be there,” Hart said. The workhorse forward also reiterated that he’d like to see head coach Tom Thibodeau sign a contract extension: “He deserves it. He’s someone that works extremely hard and he prepares us. He makes sure we have the right mindset. But it’s not in my hands.”
  • With the help of cap expert Yossi Gozlan (YouTube link), Ian Begley of SNY.tv takes a closer look at the most important contract decisions facing the Knicks this offseason. Begley says he believes it’s reasonable for forward OG Anunoby to earn $35MM per year on his next contract, noting that the rival Sixers are believed to be eyeing Anunoby and could put pressure on New York by making a big offer.
  • Anunoby’s willingness to try to play through his hamstring injury in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday left an impression on members of the Knicks’ organization, Begley writes for SNY.tv. “He wasn’t moving well. (Prior to Game 6), they didn’t think he was going to play (in Game 7),” a source told Begley. “But he was adamant about playing.”
  • Zach Braziller of The New York Post shares a player-by-player breakdown of the Knicks’ roster, examining how each player performed in 2023/24 and what their contract situations are for ’24/25 and beyond.

Eastern Rumors: Capela, Fizdale, Bulls, Randle, Heat

Veteran Hawks center Clint Capela is expected to be on the trading block this summer, Marc Stein reports at Substack.

As Stein explains, the Swiss big man will be on an expiring $22.3MM contract in 2024/25. Atlanta won the draft lottery and gave Onyeka Okongwu a four-year rookie scale extension last offseason, so Capela could be on move, particularly if the team chooses a big man with the No. 1 overall pick.

Capela, who just turned 30 years old, averaged 11.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 73 games last season (25.8 MPG). The 10-year veteran has averaged a double-double for seven straight seasons.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • According to Stein, before the Bulls hired Wes Unseld Jr. and Dan Craig to be the top assistants under head coach Billy Donovan, they showed interest in David Fizdale. A former head coach, Fizdale was an assistant with the Suns this past season but may be departing after Frank Vogel was fired. Phoenix reportedly offered Fizdale a front office position to stay with the team, but he has yet to accept it.
  • Rival teams are monitoring Julius Randle‘s situation with the Knicks, Shams Charania of The Athletic stated on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back (Twitter video link). Randle will be extension-eligible this summer and holds a $34.2MM player option for ’25/26, meaning he could be a free agent next year if he opts out. “How (the Knicks) handle that extension situation, if that is a conversation, what transpires, I think that will be interesting,” Charania said.
  • The Heat may have to barter this year if they want to trade their second-round pick (No. 43 overall) or acquire another one, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman details, for the upcoming ’24/25 season, teams that purchase a second-rounder with cash will be hard-capped at the first tax apron, and Miami is keenly aware of that fact. “It definitely factors in,” said Adam Simon, the Heat’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager. “And you have to look at the big picture and what business you’re doing. And, so, that’ll come into play. But doing something that’s going to hard cap you, you definitely have to take that into consideration.”

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Hart, Randle, Toppin

The last time Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle were together in a playoff series, they were on the same side, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. It was 2021, long before Brunson became an All-Star, and he saw just 10 minutes off the bench in a Game 7 loss to the Clippers that turned out to be the end of Carlisle’s tenure in Dallas. Asked about that experience after Saturday’s practice, Brunson said there are no hard feelings and it won’t factor into his preparation for the matchup with Indiana.

“In all honesty, I said this last time, you’re in the playoffs now, there is no extra motivation,” Brunson said. “It is what it is. The past is the past. Rick welcomed me into the league and helped me become the player [I am today] and helped me grow from Day 1. Coaches got to make decisions that better suit their teams. Whatever happened, happened, and we’re moving forward from there.” 

Brunson’s game flourished after Jason Kidd replaced Carlisle with the Mavericks, enabling him to get a huge offer from the Knicks as a free agent in 2022. Carlisle also said there’s no point in focusing on the past and acknowledged that Brunson has become one of the league’s top players.

“Jalen Brunson is a guy you would never bet against,” Carlisle said. “You just don’t bet against that guy. I don’t know if anybody saw this coming, what he’s achieved for two years now, but if you know him and you know his character, you’re not surprised. You’re not shocked.” 

There’s more from New York:

  • Comments that Josh Hart made about Indiana in February are being revisited ahead of the Knicks-Pacers series, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Hart was critical of the Hoosier State on a “Roommates Show” podcast with Brunson, saying, “If I don’t have to play the Indiana Pacers, I’m not stepping foot in that state. I don’t want to be in Indiana for any All-Star break, for anything. I am not an Indiana guy.” Hart added that he enjoys a couple of Indianapolis food options, but otherwise called the state “bottom of the barrel.”
  • Even though the Knicks were able to get past Philadelphia in round one, Hart said they’re not the same team without Julius Randle, relays Ian Begley of SNY. Randle has been out of action since separating his right shoulder in late January. “He’s an All-Star. He [averaged] 24-9-and-5 or whatever it is, so that play-making, shot making, is something that we’re missing,” Hart said. “It’s funny: when people talk about us they somehow forget the big void we have of 24-and-9 gone. It’s not like he’s out there with us 70-80 percent.  He’s not out there. So that’s something that’s a big void that we knew was gonna be hard to fill; but his play-making, his shot making, his energy is something that we definitely miss.”
  • One of the storylines of the upcoming series will be the presence of Obi Toppin, who was Leon Rose’s first draft pick after taking over as president of the Knicks, Botte notes in a separate story. Toppin was stuck behind Randle in New York, but he posted career-best numbers after being traded to Indiana last summer for a pair of second-round picks.

Atlantic Notes: Williams, Martin, Tatum, Brown, Nurse, Randle

Could Bulls forward Patrick Williams get a fresh start with the Raptors? The Athletic’s Eric Koreen believes Williams could be a realistic free agent target and good fit in Toronto, even though he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency. Caleb Martin, Tyus Jones and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are some of the other free agents who could fill a need on Toronto’s roster, Koreen adds.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Jayson Tatum said that opponents’ game plans in the postseason against the Celtics put an emphasis to “pick up the pace, the pressure, be more physical, crash the glass, do all the intangible things.” Boston showed it could wreck those plans – at least against a depleted Heat team – while advancing to the second round.  “Why don’t we flip the script and be the tougher team?” Tatum told The Athletic’s Jay King. “Why don’t we crash the glass more? Why don’t we pick up the pressure on defense while still being the talented team that we are? It’ll be tough to beat us.”
  • Jaylen Brown‘s bank account benefited from the Celtics’ first-round victory. With his team reaching 49 wins and the second round of the playoffs, Brown received a $553,572 bonus, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
  • Sixers coach Nick Nurse said that his team’s improbable late rally in Game 5 against New York on Tuesday shows the value of playing at full tilt until the finish, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “Well, I think that the main thing is that — and I know it sounds very trite — it’s 48 minutes,” Nurse said. “You have to really understand this is 48 minutes and the amount of times I was saying, ‘This is only a two-possession game.’ It felt a lot worse than that. You know what I mean?”
  • Knicks forward Julius Randle has decided to return to Creative Artists Agency for representation, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets. Randle left CAA for WME Sports last year.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Randle, Anunoby, Bogdanovic, Seeding

The Knicks have some big decisions coming this offseason beyond OG Anunoby potentially hitting free agency, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, as both Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle will be extension-eligible.

Offering Brunson the maximum extension they’re able to is pretty straightforward, but he can earn significantly more money on his next contract if he declines his 2025/26 player option and hits free agency next year, so he might not be interested in locking in a new deal quite yet.

Still, as Bondy details, there are reasons why Brunson may accept the extension. For starters, he would be eligible for another deal sooner, potentially closing the earnings gap down the road — similar to what Giannis Antetokounmpo did just before this season started. Long-term financial security is another factor that might work in the Knicks’ favor, Bondy adds.

I mean, obviously that’s a thing that you want to have, security,” said Brunson — who, even if he makes All-NBA, is not eligible for a super-max extension because he signed with the Knicks as a free agent. “But I’m just focusing on finishing the season, doing the best we can to make sure everyone’s back healthy and just doing my part. That’s at the forefront of my mind and I’ll worry about that stuff later.”

Bondy argues it wouldn’t make sense to extend Randle, given the injuries the three-time All-Star has sustained over the past year and Brunson’s stellar play in his absence. It would also limit the club’s flexibility moving forward, something the Knicks have been heavily focused on since president of basketball operations Leon Rose took over in 2020.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • While Boston didn’t have much to play for on Thursday, having locked up the East’s No. 1 seed a long time ago, New York’s dismantling of the NBA’s top team was impressive, led by another dominant performance from Brunson, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. “The way he plays, the things he can do, it’s definitely special,” Anunoby said of Brunson. “He’s one of the best in the league. He’s playing like an MVP; (he) should win MVP.” Brunson finished with 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting in 30 minutes against the Celtics’ second-ranked defense.
  • In the closing seconds of a chippy game, Nets guard Cam Thomas shoved Brunson to the ground out of frustration in Brooklyn’s loss to New York on Friday, prompting Anunoby to stand up for his teammate, per Andrew Battifarano of The New York Post. “It means a lot,” Brunson said (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv). Both Thomas and Anunoby received technical fouls for the incident.
  • Bojan Bogdanovic‘s transition to New York hasn’t gone smoothly, but he’s been strengthening his case for having a rotation role in the playoffs with his recent play, Bondy writes for The New York Post. “I’ve been confident, even with a lot of ups and downs that I’ve had with the Knicks,” said Bogdanovic, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Detroit. “I’m feeling more comfortable in my role right now. Kind of adjusting a little bit because it’s not the same. I’ve been a starter for 10 years, but here going into the playoffs, I hope that I’m starting to play way better and keep my level up.”
  • It wasn’t their best performance on a second of a back-to-back, but Friday’s victory secured a top-four playoff seed for the Knicks, as Peter Botte of The New York Post relays. Many of the final seedings in both conferences remain up in the air — New York can still finish anywhere from No. 2 to No. 4.

Knicks Notes: Playoff Berth, Anunoby, Hartenstein, Randle

The Knicks weren’t in action on Wednesday, but it was still a big night for the franchise, which clinched a playoff spot for the second consecutive year as a result of Miami’s loss to Dallas, as Peter Botte of The New York Post writes.

Although the Knicks are assured of avoiding the play-in tournament now that they’ve locked up their playoff berth, much is still to be determined in the final four days of the regular season — New York could finish anywhere from second to sixth in the Eastern Conference, depending on how the team’s final three games play out. Jalen Brunson indicated on Tuesday that the Knicks don’t plan to take their foot off the gas.

“I just think as we get close to the end of the season, we’ve been talking about not jogging to the finish line, just sprinting to it,” Brunson said. “So making sure we’re playing as hard as we can, getting better every single day. And we got to make sure our minds are ready to go.”

The Knicks are in Boston on Thursday before wrapping up the regular season with home games against Brooklyn on Friday and Chicago on Sunday. Even if they don’t lose any of those three contests, they’d need some help from Milwaukee to move up to No. 2 in the East, but they’d finish no lower than No. 3 by winning out.

“We want to win every game, so we play every game to win,” OG Anunoby said after Tuesday’s victory. “We don’t really worry about anything else. Just try to win every game.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • After missing an extended stretch of games due to an elbow injury, Anunoby looked like his old self on Tuesday vs. Chicago. He scored 24 points and made four three-pointers while registering a +12 plus/minus mark in an 11-point victory. As Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post writes, the three-and-D standout is rounding back into form at the perfect time for the Knicks, who are 17-3 when Anunoby has played.
  • After receiving all three of his contract bonuses a year ago, Isaiah Hartenstein has achieved the feat again in 2023/24, earning a total of $1.05MM in incentives, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Hartenstein’s bonuses are for playing at least 1,350 minutes, his team winning at least 40 games, and his team making the playoffs. Since all three were considered likely to be earned entering the season, his cap hit of $9,245,121 remains unchanged.
  • Knicks forward Julius Randle underwent successful surgery on his injured right shoulder on Tuesday, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). He’ll be reevaluated in September, as the team announced last week.

Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Hartenstein, Randle, Brunson

After Stefan Bondy of The New York Post wondered if the Knicks‘ obfuscation regarding Julius Randle‘s rehab process might be a bad omen for OG Anunoby‘s recovery timeline, the team has listed Anunoby as questionable to play on Friday in Chicago, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

As Begley writes, the upgrade to Anunoby’s status looks like a big step forward for the 26-year-old, especially since it comes a day after head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the forward’s ability to get back on the court. The Knicks didn’t hold a shootaround this morning on the second day of a back-to-back set, so there were no clues about whether or not Anunoby will suit up tonight.

The Knicks are 15-2 in games that Anunoby has played since they acquired him from Toronto at the end of December, but he has missed 27 of the club’s past 30 contests. After sitting out for 18 games due to elbow surgery, the three-and-D specialist was able to suit up just three times before aggravating the elbow issue and returning to the sidelines. He has been unavailable for New York’s past nine games.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Several executives who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype believe that Isaiah Hartenstein will command around $13MM per year as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, which is right around what the mid-level exception is projected to be worth. For his part, Hartenstein said that if the money is equal, he’d prefer to remain in New York. “I love it here, and hopefully, we’ll figure something out, but at the end of the day, business is business,” he told Scotto.
  • Randle’s teammates expressed sympathy after word broke on Thursday that he’ll have to undergo season-ending surgery after attempting for over two months to work his way back from a shoulder injury, as Bridget Reilly of The New York Post relays. “It’s kind of sad from a personal standpoint. He was putting a lot of work in to try to come back,” Hartenstein said. “I think a lot of players in the league would probably just give up right away and say, ‘I’m getting the surgery.'”
  • With Randle out for the rest of the season and postseason, the pressure will be on Jalen Brunson to continue bearing the brunt of the offensive load and to figure out how to navigate increased defensive attention, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who takes a look at how Brunson has been dealing with double-teams and traps.

Knicks Notes: Randle, Ailing Roster, Transactions, Anunoby

Knicks All-Star power forward Julius Randle has been ruled out for the year and will require surgery to treat his injured shoulder. No one seems more broken up about the news than Randle himself. Had the 6’8″ Kentucky product been available, New York seemed like it had a viable path to a deep playoff run. Without him, the team could be in for some tough sledding in the postseason.

During a conversation with Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Randle revealed that he suffered a setback to his shoulder during a practice.

“I want everyone to know that I did everything in my power to get back this season,” Randle told Haynes. “That was my intention, to be playing right now. That’s why I didn’t opt for surgery when it happened. But what caused me to finally go through with getting surgery was about five weeks ago, I went through a full-contact session in pads and re-injured my shoulder. My s–t wasn’t stable. I felt like I was in the same state when I first dislocated it, and It’s been an uphill battle ever since.”

This news contradicts New York’s official claim that Randle had been slowly progressing but had yet to return to contact workouts, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

Randle expects to return to the floor for New York at the beginning of the 2024/25 season. The Knicks indicated that they will reassess his shoulder five months after the procedure.

“I visited a couple of shoulder specialists,” Randle revealed. “One said I 100 percent needed to get surgery. Another one said I’m at risk, but if I dislocated it again, I could damage it permanently… I believe in this team and wanted to give it a try. It didn’t work out, unfortunately. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it was my only option at this point. It wasn’t getting right.”

There’s more out of New York:

  • Although the Knicks are struggling through multiple injuries to close out the season, the team’s front office did make the right moves with regard to fleshing out its roster, opines Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
  • The Knicks now know they’ll be missing Randle for good this season. Peter Botte of The New York Post (subscriber link) offers his prescription for how New York can survive the home stretch of its regular season without him.
  • Katz adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks’ other ailing starting forward, OG Anunoby, still seems to be nearing his own return. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said the team is “cautiously optimistic” about the progress the former Raptors champ has made in his recovery from an elbow ailment.