Somebody had to take the New York Knicks money and after striking out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Julius Randle jumped in and took a three-year deal.
The New York Knicks found a free agent who would take their money. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Julius Randle agreed to a three-year, $63 million deal to join the Knicks. Randle had a breakout season with the New Orleans Pelicans last season, and he will certainly play a bigger role in New York.
Randle is certainly not a scrub, but his signing signals just how far the Knicks have fallen on the first day of NBA Free Agency. With a cache of cash to spend on two max free agents, the Knicks missed out on both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, their two prime free agent targets.
Free agent Julius Randle has agreed to a three-year, $63M deal with the New York Knicks, CAA agents Aaron Mintz and Steve Heumann tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
To add injury to insult, both went to their in-city rival, the Brooklyn Nets.
NBA Twitter has been on a field day poking fun at the Knicks’ free agent misery, and it could very well lead to some loyal Knicks fans migrating to the Nets.
Randle was a sought-after player this summer, as he emerged as a potent scorer, rebounder, and passer last season. Randle averaged career highs in all of those categories (21.4/8.7/3.1 splits), and baring a miracle this offseason, Randle will join forces with first-round pick R.J. Barratt to try to lead the Knicks back to prominence.
Of course, it would have been easier if KD and/or Irving was aboard, but now, the Knicks will try to surge forward with a rookie who holds a ton of promise, and a power forward who is finally coming into his own. Still, the signing of Randle can’t overcome the pain many Knicks fans are feeling on the opening day of free agency.
The future in Madison Square Garden looks just as uncertain today as it did yesterday.