Julius Randle's cryptic message after Knicks jersey fiasco

09/07/2024 12:11 AM

The New York Knicks have changed its roster a lot ever since Julius Randle arrived in 2019 and began to turn the franchise’s fortunes around. They now boast one of the deepest rosters in the entire league, while Jalen Brunson has taken over as the team’s undisputed number one option over the past two seasons. But it seems as though Randle is getting cast aside in favor of the Knicks’ newer and shinier toys.

A photo showing that there were no Randle jerseys available on the Knicks team store at Madison Square Garden made the rounds on social media. Suffice to say, it doesn’t seem as though Randle is too pleased with this development. He commented on this turn of events in two separate Instagram stories, although he didn’t exactly make it clear what his sentiments were regarding the situation.

“Worddddd this how y’all feel? @nyknicks ,” Randle wrote. “The truth shall come to light .”

"The truth shall come to light."

Julius Randle responds to the kicks having none of his jerseys in Madison Square Garden

(via juliusrandle30 / IG) pic.twitter.com/BXQGBDbFxd

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 7, 2024

There is, of course, a possibility that Julius Randle is simply going along with the joke. The picture making the rounds doesn’t exactly provide any conclusive evidence that there are, indeed, no Randle jerseys on the Knicks store at the moment.

Perhaps they are just restocking the display shelf, or perhaps Randle’s jersey is being displayed on another shelf entirely. But the Knicks forward said that the “truth shall come to light” soon, so maybe the 29-year-old forward is going to Madison Square Garden to see for himself that there are, indeed, plenty of his jerseys available for sale.

But at the end of the day, this just adds more fuel to the fire that Randle’s importance level for the Knicks franchise is dropping. Brunson is the unquestioned lead dog through and through, as shown in the way he took over for the team following Randle’s season-ending injury last season.

Moreover, Brunson’s influence has led to the Knicks bringing in three of his former Villanova teammates in Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mikal Bridges. New York also has OG Anunoby to soak up more touches, therefore marginalizing Randle even further, even by just a bit.

Only time will tell, however, how things will shake up in the Knicks locker room and how their hierarchy will arrange itself.

Julius Randle may not be long for the Knicks

Julius Randle is on the cusp of heading back to free agency; he has a player option worth $30.9 million for the 2025-26 season, but it’s likely that he declines that in favor of signing a new huge contract. But will the Knicks be the team that ponies up to keep him long-term?

The bill will come due soon for the Knicks; with Randle likely to be a free agent in 2025, they will have to think long and hard about clogging their cap sheet, as Mikal Bridges will be up for a new contract as well by 2026. The good news is that Jalen Brunson’s huge pay cut affords the Knicks a ton of financial flexibility, and it sets a precedent for players to, perhaps, take a below-market value deal as well.

But as marginalized as Randle appears to be, he is sure to play a huge part for the Knicks next season. Their frontcourt depth is a bit shaky following the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein, and Randle figures to play a ton of minutes at the five as a versatile, ballhandling and scoring option who could pose mismatch problems for opposing centers.

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