Julius Randle gets big contract with New York Knicks

Former Kentucky Wildcats forward and current five-year NBA veteran Julius Randle has agreed to sign a three-year contract with the New York Knicks, according to Woj. It’s a deal that will reportedly pay Randle over $20 million per season.

Randle joins the Knicks after a stellar, one-year stint with the New Orleans Pelicans. The big man averaged career highs in points (21.4), three-point percentage (34%) and minutes (30.6). Needless to say, Randle’s efforts last season certainly paid off.

With former Wildcat Anthony Davis in and out of the Pelicans lineup, Randle showed he was able to shoulder the load of a go-to scorer in the front court. If there were any maturity concerns dating back to his days with the Los Angeles Lakers (2014-2018), those have certainly been erased as Randle opted out of the second year ($9 million) of his contract with New Orleans and set his sights for a larger payday on the free agent market.

At just 24 years of age, Randle has the golden opportunity to excel throughout this new contract and have another shot at one more splurge on the open market in three years when he’ll be just 27.

After all, Randle will just be entering the prime of his career when this current contract is up.

For now, Randle will likely be ‘the’ guy for the Knicks as they bring along Kevin Knox and RJ Barrett in hopes of developing a formidable big three. If other young pieces like Dennis Smith and Mitchell Robinson continue to develop, this could be a playoff team in the coming years.

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