Julius Randle Reportedly Distancing Himself From Knicks, May Want Trade

The Knicks could look into trading Julius Randle this offseason, sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post. Randle may even want to be traded himself.

Per Berman, Randle has become distant from the rest of the team, both on the court and in the locker room. Once a team on the rise largely because of Randle, the Knicks have played some of their best basketball this year without him.

Some around the league believe Randle is behaving in a “James Harden type of way,” Berman wrote, meaning Randle may be passive-aggressively making it clear he would like to move on from the Knicks.

“In the final minute of the Charlotte laugher last week, Randle left the bench, then stayed in the tunnel with a public relations staffer,” Berman wrote. “But that’s nothing compared to his decision to no longer participate in the pregame starting lineup introductions for road games — choosing instead to stay in the back to warm up.”

Should the Knicks lose Mitchell Robinson in free agency, they may try to find a package centered on Randle for another center, Berman wrote.

Randle and the Knicks agreed to a four-year, $117 million extension in August. He is averaging 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds, similar numbers to what he put up in his lone All-Star season in 2019-20.

But the Knicks are about to miss the postseason and changes my be on tap.