It took him a while but eventually, Julius Randle showed flashes of the superstar we thought he’d become when he was in college.
He put in a lot of work and improved in every single aspect of his game, becoming that go-to guy the New York Knicks have been craving since Carmelo Anthony left, and even leading them to their first playoff berth in years.
But perhaps his best deed as a member of the Knicks came off the court. According to Ian Begley of SNY, he wanted to give the team a discount so they could have more cap flexibility going forward:
“Part of Julius Randle’s thinking in signing a four-year, $117 million extension with the Knicks was to give the franchise financial flexibility moving forward. This is a big win for the Knicks, and good for Julius Randle,” reported Begley.
Part of Julius Randle's thinking in signing a four-year, $117 million extension with the Knicks was to give the franchise financial flexibility moving forward:
"This is a big win for the Knicks, and good for Julius Randle"
(@IanBegley) pic.twitter.com/8DNqU99Izr
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) August 5, 2021
Randle still had one year left in his contract. He’s due to make nearly $20 million next season and could’ve waited another year to pursue a max contract. Instead, he took a pay cut to try and help the team bring in more talent in the following years.
That’s the kind of sacrifice and attitude you just don’t see anymore around the league. Everybody’s just trying to get paid – and I can’t blame them – even though they’re still making dozens of million dollars.
Randle is coming off averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 6.’0 assists, and 2.3 three-pointers per game on 45/41/81 shooting splits and a league-leading 37.6 minutes.
His performances in the playoffs left a lot to be desired as he was completely neutralized by the Atlanta Hawks’ defense. But the Knicks have made enough moves to make us think that they’ll be a perennial playoff team, so he’ll have plenty of chances to get back at them.
