It has been a truly impressive season for Julius Randle and the New York Knicks. He is not only among the top candidates for the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award, he’s putting up incredible production while leading his team to the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Knicks and Randle could agree to an extension that keeps him in New York for the long haul without him ever having to reach NBA free agency.
“The Knicks can add up to four years to Randle’s contract, and both sides intend to talk over the summer to see if they can come to an agreement, sources said,” wrote Windhorst. “But salary-cap rules limit the raise in Randle’s salary to a max of 20%. It would begin with New York fully guaranteeing Randle’s contract for next season.
Based on the parameters of Randle’s current, the Knicks could reward their All-Star big man for his incredible season by guaranteeing more of his salary and getting a five-year deal done worth roughly $140 million.
“Currently, just $4 million of Randle’s $19.8 million deal for next year is guaranteed, a reminder of the Knicks’ hedge when signing him back in 2019. After that, the Knicks could add up to $106 million in guaranteed money. Including incentives, that could leave Randle with five years and nearly $140 million.”
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Managing to get a deal done with Julius Randle for the long-term to keep the duo of him and R.J. Barrett together would be a major win for the Knicks. This comes after coming up short in the Zion Williamson sweepstakes and missing out on Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in NBA free agency. New York has overcome such shortcomings quite nicely when considering the circumstances.
It will be fascinating to see what the New York Knicks manage to do in order to surround Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett with even more talent in the NBA offseason. They have extra draft picks from the Kristaps Porzingis trade at their disposal and have salary cap space to work with.
