Knicks’ Julius Randle Changes Agencies
Knicks forward Julius Randle, a longtime CAA client, has left the agency and signed with WME Sports for representation, according to a Twitter announcement from WME.
As Fred Katz of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), Randle was represented by George Bass of AAI Sports when he first went pro in 2014, but hired Aaron Mintz and Steve Heumann of CAA Sports during his rookie year and had been with CAA since then — until now.
The Knicks have a close relationship with CAA, Katz notes (via Twitter). Top executives Leon Rose and William Wesley previously worked for the agency, which represents Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein, and head coach Tom Thibodeau, among others.
Randle’s departure from the agency obviously doesn’t mean that his departure from the Knicks will follow, but it’s a change worth noting as the time for his next contract negotiation nears.
Randle is currently under contract through at least the next two years, with a player option decision to come for the 2025/26 season. He’ll become extension-eligible during the summer of 2024 and would be entering a potential contract year if he doesn’t sign a new deal next offseason.
Team USA Notes: Reaves, Haliburton, Anthony, Curry
Team USA will leave the World Cup without a gold medal, but it may have developed a few players who will be useful in future international competitions, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. This version of the American squad was built around young talent than established stars, and many of them could return for future World Cup or Olympic tournaments.
Vardon points to Lakers guard Austin Reaves as one of those players. The 25-year-old is third in scoring for the U.S. at 12.4 PPG and second in steals at 1.3 per game. He has also regularly been on the court late in close games.
“I think I’ve been able to learn a lot from a lot of really good players, a lot of really good coaches, and basically just see that I belong,” Reaves said.
International play has often been the springboard for players to assert themselves as future stars, such as Kevin Durant in the 2010 World Championship, Vardon notes. Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards appears ready to move into that role, and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton may be as well.
“I think being the point guard with other great scorers, other great players and understand that they want to be on the court at the same time as me, they want me to be in there to get them involved,” Haliburton said.
There’s more on Team USA:
- Friday’s loss to Germany was among the topics addressed by global ambassadors Pau Gasol, Luis Scola and Carmelo Anthony during an appearance on a talk show, relays Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Anthony, one of the most accomplished international players in American history, considers the result an “upset,” but not a huge surprise. “You have to take your hat off to Germany, and for Serbia as well,” Anthony said. “That’s good for the sport, everybody has to think differently when approaching these competitions. The game has grown globally. Everybody has an opportunity to go there and win a gold medal.”
- Lack of size was an issue for the U.S. not only against Germany but throughout the World Cup, observes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. He notes that in three games against larger European teams, the Americans gave up 53 offensive rebounds and 64 second-chance points.
- Stephen Curry is Team USA’s “must-have guy” for the Paris Olympics, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Instead of turning to LeBron James and Durant again, Rankin would like to see the 2024 roster built around Curry with Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Bam Adebayo and Jarrett Allen all in prominent roles.
Knicks Notes: Grimes, Randle, DiVincenzo, Brunson
Playing for the Select Team is only part of Quentin Grimes‘ summer schedule as he prepares for his third NBA season, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Once he’s done competing against Team USA in Las Vegas, the Knicks guard will head to Memphis to work out with former NBA All-Star and current Tigers coach Penny Hardaway. He also reached out to ex-NBA guard J.J. Redick and spent two days learning the game from him in the Hamptons.
“Got in a real good workout with him, picking his brain about how he comes off pick and rolls, down screens, pin-downs, floppy action,” Grimes said. “Really just try to take as much as I can from him and incorporate it into … this upcoming season.”
After getting uneven playing time as a rookie, Grimes became a regular member of Tom Thibodeau’s rotation last season, starting 66 of the 71 games he played and averaging 11.3 PPG while shooting 38.6% from three-point range. He’s working to improve at making plays off the dribble and wants to upgrade his defense as well.
“To be effective on the offensive end and guard the best player defensively, you’ve got to be in supreme shape,” Grimes said. “That’s one of the big things I learned from JJ. The way he was coming off screens. You’ve got to be one of the top (conditioned) guys in the league. So I’m definitely trying to make sure I’m in the best shape possible coming into training camp.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Grimes defended the work ethic of teammate Julius Randle, who battled ankle issues throughout the playoffs, Begley adds. Randle continued to play after aggravating a late-season injury to his left ankle in the series against Cleveland. “It just really shows you that nobody should ever be questioning his toughness, how much he wants it, how much he cares about the team, how much he cares about winning,” Grimes said. “… He cares a lot about this team. He does everything he can possibly (do) to make sure his body is right, to make sure he’s in the best shape possible to make sure he can give it all.”
- Grimes told Ethan Sears of The New York Post that he’s excited to have Donte DiVincenzo on the team, even though the free agent addition might cut into his playing time. Sears suggests they might have a training camp battle for a starting wing role. “I think everything you do is competition,” Grimes said. “You wanna have the best players out there every day to make us better. Competing against him, Josh (Hart), Jalen (Brunson), (Immanuel Quickley) is gonna make everybody better, really.”
- In addition to giving the Knicks more shooting, Brunson believes DiVincenzo will bring an “edge” to the team in whatever role he plays (Twitter link from Knicks Videos).
Atlantic Notes: Rajakovic, Randle, R. Williams
In a fascinating profile, Eric Koreen of The Athletic details Darko Rajakovic‘s journey to becoming the Raptors‘ new head coach.
Rajakovic got his NBA start thanks to his relationship with Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti, first in the then-D-League and later with Oklahoma City. Presti met Rajakovic in Europe as a young executive with the Spurs, and was impressed by his attention to detail, passion and work ethic, Koreen writes.
“He’s fought himself all the way to this point,” Presti said. “I think there is a level of toughness that comes with that, to work that path the way that he did, to get to the point where he’s the head coach of an NBA team. I don’t know how you can’t respect that and also be extremely happy for him.”
As Koreen notes, one of Rajakovic’s strengths is his adaptability, which should come in handy with Toronto’s roster in a somewhat precarious position entering 2023/24. It’s an excellent article and I highly recommend it for those who subscribe to The Athletic.
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Left ankle problems plagued Julius Randle to end last season, but the Knicks‘ All-NBA forward believes undergoing arthroscopic surgery a couple months ago may have been a blessing in disguise, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays. “Me and my trainer were just talking about this, we were talking about prime years,” Randle said Wednesday as a guest on The Shop Uninterrupted. “And I feel like your prime is when your mental and physical kind of meet. And physically I feel like this is going to be my best year. But mentally I feel like I’ve taken a tremendous step because I’ve had to slow all the way down. I wasn’t allowed to train.” Randle also said he drew inspiration from teammate Jalen Brunson due to the point guard’s diligence and focus, per Bondy.
- What’s next for Robert Williams following the arrival of Kristaps Porzingis? The Celtics big man needs to become more aggressive offensively, dribble more often, and add a short-range jump shot to keep opposing defenses honest, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Of course, the biggest question mark surrounding Williams might not be his on-court play but rather his health, given that he has appeared in just 209 regular season games over his five NBA seasons, including 35 in ’23/24.
- In case you missed it, the Knicks, Raptors and Celtics all officially made roster moves on Tuesday.
New York Notes: Randle, Knicks, Long Island Nets, Simmons
Knicks All-Star power forward Julius Randle seems to be on the mend following his offseason arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle last month. As Belle Fraser of The New York Post writes, Randle shared a new workout video to his personal Instagram account.
Randle sat out the final five contests of the 2022/23 regular season after spraining his ankle in a late March bout with the Heat. He then re-aggravated the ailment during the closeout bout of New York’s five-game first-round series win over the Cavaliers.
In the regular season, the 28-year-old averaged 25.1 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 4.1 APG during his second All-NBA season with the Knicks, who finished with a 47-35 record and the No. 5 seed in the East last year. His numbers regressed mightily in the playoffs, in part due to the ankle ailment. Randle averaged 16.6 PPG on 37.4% shooting from the field, along with 8.3 RPG, and 3.6 APG.
There’s more out of New York:
- The Knicks have shored up their wing depth this offseason, but will still face an uphill battle in a stacked Eastern Conference. Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscriber link) predicts how the Knicks will fare this season, speculating that five Eastern teams will finish ahead of them.
- The Nets’ NBAGL team, the Long Island Nets, have traded the returning player rights for swingman Alondes Williams to the Heat’s NBA G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, in exchange for the returning player rights of shooting guard D.J. Stewart to the Nets, the Skyforce announced in a press release.
- Oft-injured Nets guard Ben Simmons is now completely healthy after rehabbing from the back nerve impingement that caused him to miss the last six weeks of the 2022/23 regular season, sources inform Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The 27-year-old anticipates that he will be able to fully partake in Brooklyn’s training camp in September.
Atlantic Notes: Milton, Harris, Randle, Bridges, Toppin, Rajakovic
Shake Milton is the least likely of the Sixers’ free agents to re-sign with the club, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com. Milton is looking for a opportunity to get an expanded role elsewhere, though that could change if the Sixers fail to re-sign James Harden.
There’s also no traction regarding a possible trade involving Tobias Harris and his expiring contract, Neubeck writes. There’s no sense of urgency to deal Harris, as the Sixers believe they’ll have multiple windows beyond this week to potentially move him. They’re not inclined to deal the veteran forward unless it improves their flexibility or top-end ceiling, Neubeck adds.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Julius Randle believes the Knicks are “not that far off” from being a championship team, he said on Paul George‘s Podcast P show (hat tip to SNY TV’s Ian Begley). “We got a great mixture of talent, bro. We’ve got young dudes, we’ve got guys going in their prime. So we’ve got a great mixture of guys and it’s like, ‘How do we keep getting better?’ So from a team standpoint, I think that’s where we at.”
- Mikal Bridges believes that when injuries struck the Suns last season, he got a chance to showcase his offensive ability. That set him up to become a primary option after he was traded to the Nets, he told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “I always tell people I got traded at the right time with having pretty much the whole team out and being the guy for about a month and just going through the pains and the gains and growth throughout every day,” he said. “Having bad games and losing a lot to finally starting to get it going and start being efficient and trying to win games. And then once it kind of got to that and then that’s when I got traded. So it was perfect timing. I couldn’t have been traded at a better time.”
- Obi Toppin’s trade value could be a late first-rounder in this year’s draft, a source told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The Pacers could be a potential suitor for the Knicks’ backup power forward, Bondy suggests, since they were interested in him before last season’s trade deadline and possess two late first-round picks. However, Toppin has supporters within the organization and he would become more valuable to the Knicks if they deal Randle in a blockbuster.
- Darko Rajakovic presented a straightforward approach during the interviewing process for the Raptors’ head coaching job, he told Serbian media outlet MozzartSport (hat tip to Eurohoops.net). “When I entered the whole process, I had no intention of pleasing anyone and simply wanted to present myself, who I am and what I am, what my beliefs are, and what my basketball philosophy is,’ he said. “In the end, they liked it the most, so they decided to hire me.”
Atlantic Notes: Beal, Brown, Brogdon, Harden, Towns
The Celtics made inquiries about Bradley Beal in the past, but they’re unlikely to pursue the high-scoring Wizards guard now, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Wednesday on “NBA Today” (video link). Boston had thoughts of teaming up Beal with his long-time friend Jayson Tatum, but Windhorst doesn’t believe it’s realistic with the team’s current salary structure.
“My feel from talking to sources is that the Celtics are not necessarily in on this one,” Windhorst said. “Their intention is to get Jaylen Brown on a contract extension this year. Even if they got Jaylen Brown done, the idea of bringing in Bradley Beal would be extraordinarily difficult because of the three contracts together. I don’t think any conversation that involves trading Jaylen Brown is something the Celtics are super interested in right now.”
Brown became eligible for a super-max contract by earning All-NBA honors this season. Beal signed a maximum contract last summer and will make nearly $208MM over the next four years, while Tatum will be eligible to sign a super-max extension in 2024.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- With the Celtics hoping to trim salary this summer, Brian Robb of MassLive suggests potential deals involving Malcolm Brogdon. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year had a productive first season in Boston, but he’s owed $22.5MM in each of the next two years and that money may be needed elsewhere. Robb proposes trades involving the Knicks, Clippers, Lakers, Raptors and 76ers.
- The Sixers prefer to re-sign James Harden, but they shouldn’t be viewed as desperate, according to Windhorst, who says in his latest podcast that Philadelphia has alternatives lined up if the veteran guard returns to Houston. “While they absolutely want James Harden back, and I think there’s a way they can play together and still be highly successful, the Sixers have other moves they can make,” Windhorst said. “If Harden walks, they have cap space. They have tradable contracts. They have things they can do. Harden is important, but not the end-all and be-all for the 76ers.”
- Rico Hines will be an assistant to new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Hines worked under Nurse with the Raptors last season.
- The Knicks would have numerous ways to match Karl-Anthony Towns‘ salary in a trade if the Timberwolves make him available, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Because Towns’ extension doesn’t start until 2024/25, he will make $36MM next season. Sending out Julius Randle ($25.6MM) or Mitchell Robinson ($15.6MM), either of whom might be redundant on the same team with Towns, gives New York plenty of remaining options to reach a matching figure, Begley notes.
Julius Randle Undergoes Arthroscopic Surgery On Ankle
Knicks forward Julius Randle underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle on Friday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the procedure was successful.
Randle will resume basketball activities later in the offseason and is expected to be ready to go for training camp and the beginning of the regular season this fall, sources tell Wojnarowski.
A left ankle sprain cost Randle the final two weeks of the regular season. He returned for the start of the playoffs, but sprained the ankle again in Game 5 of the Knicks’ first-round series vs. Cleveland.
Although he was able to play through the injury, suiting up for all but one game in New York’s second-round series against the Heat, Randle became aware during the postseason that he’d probably require surgery on the ankle, writes Wojnarowski.
Randle, 28, earned his second All-Star nod in 2022/23, averaging a career-best 25.1 points per game to go along with 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 77 appearances (35.5 MPG). His production declined significantly in the playoffs, where he averaged just 16.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 3.6 APG on .374/.258/.709 shooting, though it’s safe to assume that drop-off can be attributed at least in part to his ankle problems.
Randle has been mentioned as a possible offseason trade candidate, but will continue to be a major part of the Knicks’ game plan in 2023/24 if he remains on the roster. He’s under contract for at least two more years, with a player option for ’25/26. He’ll earn approximately $28.2MM next season and $30.3MM in ’24/25.
Knicks Notes: Randle, Barrett, Hart, Quickley, D. Rose
The Knicks will listen to trade offers this summer for Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, but they won’t be eager to move either player unless they get a major star in return, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News says in a discussion of the team’s offseason plans with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Randle is coming off an All-NBA regular season, but he was disappointing in the playoffs for the second time in three years, although an ankle injury contributed to that. Scotto doesn’t believe other teams value him as highly as New York’s front office does, but Bondy questions whether Randle is an effective leader for the Knicks now that they’ve seemingly established themselves as a consistent playoff team. Begley notes that Randle has a personal connection with senior executive William Wesley and team president Leon Rose and states that management won’t try to deal him just because of a disappointing postseason.
Begley points out that some members of the front office were willing to send Barrett to Utah in last summer’s negotiations for Donovan Mitchell, so he’s likely to be made available again if the right deal comes along. Bondy believes any team talking about trading a star player to the Knicks would have to decide whether it would prefer Randle or Barrett in return.
There’s more on the Knicks from that conversation:
- Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns have been mentioned as potential trade targets, but the three writers are skeptical that either deal will happen this summer. Scotto notes that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey doesn’t like to trade star players unless he’s getting another one in return and suggests that the Heat look like a better option if Philadelphia ever decides to part with Embiid. Bondy points out that the Towns rumors have been around for a long time, and while he heard two years ago that coach Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t be opposed to a reunion with the Timberwolves big man, things might have changed since then.
- Thibodeau’s affection for free agent Josh Hart and his CAA connections could help push his next contract into the range of $18MM per year, Scotto adds. He cites a consensus among attendees at last week’s draft combine that Hart plans to re-sign with New York.
- Immanuel Quickley raised his value with a season that saw him finish second in the Sixth Man of the Year balloting, and his extension could be worth $80MM to possibly $100MM over four years, according to Scotto. Bondy cautions that the Knicks will have to be careful about how much they pay Quickley with big-money deals for Jalen Brunson, Randle, Barrett and likely Hart already in place.
- The Bulls seem like a natural destination for Derrick Rose, whose $15.6MM team option for next season is unlikely to be picked up, Scotto states. Begley also mentions the Bucks, who were rumored to have interest in Rose during the season.
Knicks Notes: Offseason Plans, Randle, Hart, Exit Interviews
Finding some shooters should be the Knicks‘ top offseason priority, writes Steve Popper of Newsday, who notes that the lack of reliable shot-makers contributed heavily to Friday’s Game 6 loss in Miami. On a night when Jalen Brunson scored 41 points and shot 14-of-22 from the field, the rest of the starters were just 5-of-32.
New York spent several weeks last summer trying to work out a trade for Donovan Mitchell, and Popper expects the front office to be aggressive again in pursuit of another star. Brunson has established himself as the cornerstone of the franchise, but Popper states that decisions have to be made on whether RJ Barrett and Julius Randle are part of the team’s core. He adds that Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley should be considered trade assets, along with the team’s deep collection of draft picks.
“Everybody is going back to zero,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after Friday’s loss. “We have to start all over. You have to work crazy all offseason to get ready for next season. Yeah, we would still like to be playing, that’s why you do it, if you’re a competitive person, that’s what you want. We fell short. There’s disappointment, but I think to look at it and say we learned a lot, let’s use this as motivation and get better. That’s what you have to do.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Management has to face some “uncomfortable realities” in its offseason evaluation of Randle, states Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. For the second time in three years, Randle has followed an outstanding regular season performance with a flameout in the playoffs. Bondy doesn’t believe Randle can be one of the two best players on a legitimate contender, adding that his moodiness and his tendency to snap at teammates, officials, and coaches can be a distraction.
- Although Josh Hart was a valuable midseason addition who’s likely to be re-signed, he and Barrett didn’t work well together in playoff lineups, observes Chris Herring of Sports Illustrated. Herring believes Thibodeau made a mistake by starting Hart against Miami because it clogged the lane as defenders dared Barrett and Hart to shoot from the outside and it eliminated the lift that Hart normally provides off the bench.
- The Knicks won’t make Thibodeau or their players available for end-of-season exit interviews with the media, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.