The Knicks have entered the All-Star break with their noses poking just above the .500 mark, a place few thought they'd even sniff by this point in the season.
One of the main catalysts behind New York's surprising ascent has been Julius Randle, who frustrated many Knicks fans last season with his shot selection and lack of ball movement before evolving into the team's unquestionable MVP so far this season. Randle, just 26 years old, has suddenly become a potential cornerstone for the Knicks' continued rebuild, and former NBA general manager Ryan McDonough believes Leon Rose and the Knicks would be wise to make sure Randle is kept for the long haul.
"He's still only 26 years old, he's expanded his range…but the biggest development for me in terms of his advancement is his passing ability and his playmaking ability," McDonough said while on Moose & Maggie Friday morning. "He's averaging 5.5 assists per game, that's almost double his career average. He's young, he's talented…a high-character, high-energy guy, so I think the Knicks certainly have a long-term building block in Julius Randle and I expect them to offer him a contract extension either over the summer or into next season and try to keep him in a Knicks uniform for a long time."
Randle signed with the Knicks prior to the start of last season, when New York labored through another summer of missing on big-name free agents. That offseason was especially painful when those coveted free agents chose the crosstown rival Nets, but now, it looks like the team might have found a long-term solution after all.
"You remember the now the famous or now infamous statement from Steve Mills and Scott Perry when free agency started in 2019 that there was some disappointment when the Knicks weren't able to land Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving," McDonough said. "Well, in that free agency class they got Julius Randle, and that's looking like a bargain and a steal for the Knicks."
Randle is in the second year of a three-year, $63 million deal, and was just named to his first-ever All-Star team. With more than a year left on his deal, the Knicks could take more time to see if this evolution is sustainable, but it Randle continues this type of production, there's a good chance he will be kept after his current deal expires, and become a pillar of the team's young core alongside RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
"You have some time with that, because they have the salary for next season at just under $21 million," McDonough said. "So they don't have to make that decision now. You have Julius under team control for another year and a half, I think you could even get into the season next season and see how it looks."
Listen to McDonough's full interview with Moose & Maggie below!
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