I think he’s super supportive in us as players. He’s our team owner, so I have a relationship with him. “I just think he’s great,’’ Randle said of Dolan. For the most part, Randle has talked when requested and showed some fight Friday when the rumours arose, chiding this reporter: “You’re just making stuff up,’’ he said. Unless trading Randle is a directive from the always impatient James Dolan, it is hard to imagine Randle winds up elsewhere during this five-game, make-or-break West Coast trip.ĭolan recently took the hit for Randle, a CAA client, for not talking to the media, absorbing a $25,000 fine. However, Thibodeau hasn’t been a huge Toppin fan. If the Knicks actually move on from Randle, it will be because of a giant belief Obi Toppin can fill in as starting power forward. That said, could Randle fetch a player with the young upside of Fox, who is three years younger than Randle, or Detroit power forward Jerami Grant? One league executive believes it’s not impossible by adding a first-round pick to Randle, but that might speak more about Fox’s and Grant’s declining status.įox, the Sacramento point guard out of Kentucky, is shooting just 24.8 per cent from 3, has been out with knee woes and hasn’t won in the NBA. “He’s not going to ever be better than that - only worse.’’ “Randle was as good as he’ll ever be last season,’’ another scout chimed in. Considering Randle was an All-Star and named second team All-NBA in 2021, his value should be higher. It would seem illogical for Rose-Wesley to give up on Randle this soon after the extension until he builds up his trade value. That’s part of the reason we talked in the summer, when I signed my extension. “I just trust them, man,’’ Randle said of Rose and top adviser William Wesley. However, Knicks president Leon Rose, who hasn’t spoken to reporters since September, still has no cap space this summer. When Randle faced the contract dilemma last August, he knew he could have waited until 2022 and signed a four-year, $200 million deal.Īt the time, people around Randle said he didn’t want to wait because he hoped to give the Knicks flexibility in signing players in 2022. Randle signed a $117 million ($A165m) maximum contract extension, but he’s far from netting max money next season. “He hasn’t come across as a good teammate. “It’s a low trade value,’’ another NBA scout said. Some in the organisation wonder if his new contract extension has made him feel he needs to do too much. Though opposing coaches have great respect for Randle by loading up their defence toward stopping him, The NY Post has also reported Tom Thibodeau has had trouble coaching Randle this season into being more of a selfless player. Randle is contracted at the Knicks until 2026 (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images) Source: FOX SPORTS Randle’s thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans (the worst thing a pro athlete can do), his persistent haggling with referees and media boycott doesn’t look good to those signing the checks. Nothing changed for me.”īut perception has, and it can shape a player’s value, too, for team owners as much as analytics. “You shoot the ball well, you don’t shoot the ball good. “You go through phases,’’ Randle said at UCLA. Randle’s 3-point percentage is most noticeably down - from a blazing 41.1 per cent to 30.3 per cent. Randle’s field-goal percentage is a career-low 41.4 per cent (not counting his one-game rookie year). But the efficiency is nowhere near 2020-21. Randle’s numbers aren’t bad at all - he entered Saturday averaging 18.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists. “This season is more akin to his first six seasons.’’ “I think you could look at last season as more an anomaly,’’ one Western Conference personnel director said. But if superstars are made in the playoffs, the 6-foot-8 freight train came up very small against Atlanta last spring. Randle never competed in a playoff game until his seventh season - which was last year. “Not now,’’ one NBA GM told The Post when asked if Randle has decent trade value.Īnother Western Conference personnel director said the totality of Randle’s career is an issue.
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