Julius Randle Says He's Open to Finishing Career with Knicks amid Resurgent Season

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has enjoyed a breakout season that has seen him make his first All-Star Game and average 23.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists.

Randle will be a free agent after the 2021-22 season, but he told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on The Woj Pod Friday (32:40 mark) that he can envision himself calling New York home for the rest of his career.

The ex-Kentucky Wildcat said that nothing in the league is guaranteed but that he wanted to be part of an organization building from the "ground up" when he signed two years ago. That was certainly the case in 2019 with the Knicks coming off a 17-65 campaign.

He added that there was "no better place than New York I felt to do it," mentioning the team's passionate, title-hungry fanbase.

Randle summed up his feelings on his Knicks career and the future:

"For me, I wanted to be a part of that, you know honestly for the rest of my career. That's really what I wanted to be...I wanted to be a Knick. I wanted to be one of the greats here, whatever it is. That was my thinking going into it. Hopefully, I can continue to be a part of that, hopefully, you know, keep building here in the future bring a championship or championships to here because honestly, I don't think there would be any better place to win than here."

The seven-year veteran played four years with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Knicks in 2019.

That loaded offseason saw A-list players such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving available, but the team could not land any of them. However, Randle has developed into a star in his two years in New York.

Thanks largely to him, the 33-27 Knicks have won eight straight games and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference. They are aiming to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13.