New York Knicks forward Julius Randle served as a guest analyst on ESPN’s NBA Countdown on Monday night, where he witnessed the Boston Celtics clinch their record 18th NBA championship after they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
During the live broadcast, Stephen A. Smith boldly claimed that one can expect the Boston Celtics to win a “couple more titles,” but Julius Randle said that his New York Knicks have other plans.
“Yeah, well I’m not gonna sit here and say I expect a couple more titles. I’m still playing,” Randle said via New York Basketball on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Like I said, credit to them from the very beginning of the season. They were picked to be the favorites and they got the job done.”
“The league is way more balanced, and everybody has a shot. You gotta give them credit. But next year hopefully we can stop them,” he concluded.
Julius Randle’s 2023-24 campaign was cut short after dislocating his right shoulder in January and went under the knife. However, the New York Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals without him, losing to the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
New York Knicks not expected to extend Julius Randle this summer
New York Knicks stars Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson have one year left on their current contracts before they can trigger their player options in 2025-26, making them eligible for extensions this summer.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the New York Knicks are expected to let Julius Randle play out his contract while trying to lock down Jalen Brunson to a new deal.
The New York Knicks could also reportedly consider trading Julius Randle. They have a lot on their plate this offseason, as they will look to re-sign OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein, although doing so would thrust them into luxury tax territory.
