Knicks Insider: Julius Randle Would Only Be Traded for Joel Embiid-Type Star

Most NBA fans would likely see Julius Randle as a step below the league's biggest stars, but the New York Knicks reportedly have no interest in moving him unless they can land a player of that caliber.

"I don't think there's a world right now where the Knicks would move Julius Randle," SNY's NBA insider Ian Begley said during an appearance on ESPN's The Lowe Post podcast (26-minute mark). "I mean it would have to be for like [a Joel] Embiid or a player like that that's going to change your franchise Day 1 as soon as he steps in the building."

That the Knicks are so interested in keeping Randle is notable. He's under team control for only two more seasons before he has a $29.5 million player option, which means the Knicks may have a limited time frame to make a deep playoff run while he's a focal point of the roster.

It is also fair to worry about his playoff production to this point.

In 15 career postseason games, the University of Kentucky product is averaging 17.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 34.4 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from deep. While his rebounding numbers are solid, those numbers pale in comparison to the ones he put up during the regular season in 2022-23.

Randle averaged 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three-point range. It was an excellent campaign, and he was rewarded with his second All-Star selection and a spot on the All-NBA Third Team.

Yet expectations are higher in New York than they were early in his career.

Jalen Brunson, Randle and RJ Barrett comprise a solid core, and role players such as Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo elevate the Knicks' overall ceiling. The team made it to the second round for the first time in a decade last season but lost to the Miami Heat.

Perhaps things might have been different if Randle played better in the playoffs, but the lack of interest in trading him suggests the front office believes he can in the future.