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Arizona Republic
What’s the deal?
The New York Knicks signed forward Julius Randle to three years, $63 million. After promising Knicks fans a superstar in this free agency, Randle was as close as the struggling franchise got.
Although not a “face of the franchise” type of player, Randle is an offensive weapon that has improved every season. Last season Randle averaged an impressive 21 points and 9 rebounds.
What does Randle bring to the Knicks?
Randle’s inside presence is the start of a good frontcourt. It’ll be good to have a borderline All-Star for the Knicks’ young guards to play off of. He could also be a key piece in Mitchell Robinson’s development, giving the young center a more established big man to learn from.
If Julius Randle continues on the same trajectory of improvement, he will be the clear focal point of the Knicks offense for the next few years. After Anthony Davis’ early exit last season, Randle showed he can more than handle such an offensive load.
What does this move mean for New York?
In a vacuum, this would look like a great move for the Knicks. In reality in couldn’t be more disappointing. The New York front office essentially traded Kristaps Porzingas for cap space last year, in hopes of signing a Durant and/or Kyrie. They settled for Randle.
The only hope left for this franchise to reach a championship pedigree is RJ Barrett and the rest of the young core. If RJ reaches superstar status in a few years, and the rest of the young core makes for a solid supporting cast, the Knicks might have some hope. Outside of that, it’s looking more and more likely that the New York championship drought will continue.
How would you grade this contract?
Overall, this contract gets a D+. By itself not bad, but given the proper context, it signifies the Knicks defeat in free agency.
Final thoughts
The Knicks may still have hope moving forward. However, a fan base tired of waiting for their time is going to have to get a lot more patient.