Julius Randle trying to force his way out of New York?

But some people around the league feel he’s acting in a “James Harden type of way” that suggests he wants a new place of work next season. Randle has lost his strongest ally in assistant coach Kenny Payne, his former mentor at Kentucky who left this month to be the head coach at Louisville. Some NBA sources believe the Knicks will shop Randle for a package revolving around a center if they lose Mitchell Robinson.
Source: Marc Berman @ New York Post

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Fred Katz @FredKatz
Many wondered it coming into the season and they haven’t stopped since.
Story here on the big Julius Randle question ($1/month subscription offer inside): https://t.co/fNrws81JW6 pic.twitter.com/cOHTafDukZ – 10:12 AM Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
For the betterment of the team and the player, the Knicks need to stop pretending the Julius Randle issue doesn’t exist nydailynews.com/sports/basketb… – 1:56 PM Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
NBA leaders in total minutes played:
1. Mikal Bridges, 2662
2. Miles Bridges, 2621
3. Jayson Tatum, 2569
4. Saddiq Bey, 2531
5. Russell Westbrook, 2513
6. DeMar DeRozan, 2484
7. Julius Randle, 2481
8. Tyrese Haliburton, 2440
9. Dorian Finney-Smith, 2440
10. Tyrese Maxey, 2385 – 11:07 AM Jeff Eisenband @JeffEisenband
Underrated #Knicks’ storyline to follow in these last 2 weeks: Will RJ Barrett pass Julius Randle as the team’s leading scorer? pic.twitter.com/W7bJ2UZsEv – 10:13 AM Brian Geltzeiler @BGeltzNBA
Boy, is Julius Randle’s act getting old. So immersed in himself that he can’t enjoy a win with his teammates. He’s fallen from grace as quickly as he rose. It’s going to be interesting what bad contract the Knicks will have to take on just to dump Randle – 10:59 PM Marc Berman @NYPost_Berman
#Knicks beat Bulls to capture season-high fourth straight victory with Randle silent nypost.com/2022/03/28/kni… – 10:24 PM Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
The Knicks keep winning but the Julius Randle problem at home persists nydailynews.com/sports/basketb… – 10:19 PM Fred Katz @FredKatz
Final: Knicks 109, Bulls 104.
Knicks win their fourth straight, improve to 34-42, 11th in the East. They have 12th-best lottery positioning.
• Barrett 28-6-3
• Burks 27-6-3
• Robinson 16 & 12, 3 blks
• Toppin 17 pts
• Randle 5-13-4, 1-9 FGs
• DeRozan 37-6-7 – 10:07 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Knicks 109, Bulls 104
DeRozan 37 pts
LaVine 27 pts
Vucevic 16 pts, 13 rebs
Bulls 16 assists, 14 TOs
Barrett 28 pts
Burks 27 pts
Randle 5 pts, 1-9 FGs
Knicks 21-35 FTs – 10:04 PM Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Obi earned the opportunity to close out this game.
Randle had not earned the right check back into this game.
A tired Obi playing effort >>> an unmotivated but fresh Randle – 9:51 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Thibs long has had habit of rewarding reserves for sparking team but this this bench unit ran out of gas. Randle in with 3:32 left. – 9:48 PM Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
Julius Randle has been at the end of the bench the entire fourth quarter. I have a feeling they’re going to tell us his quad started acting up. But he was also benched after picking a technical. – 9:45 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Knicks up 9 midway through 4th with Randle and Fournier a combined 3-19 isn’t a sentence I thought I’d be typing today. – 9:41 PM Fred Katz @FredKatz
That Julius Randle technical foul was his 12th of the season, a new career high. – 9:20 PM Fred Katz @FredKatz
Randle with the technical foul now. He’s been increasingly animated with the refs over the course of this quarter. – 9:14 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
T on Randle. Officials have rabbit ears tonight. Third T. – 9:14 PM Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
Some faint “We Want Obi” chants at MSG as Julius Randle struggles. – 9:13 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
“We want Obi … We want Obi …” chants … fans at MSG still pissed at Julius Randle. They don’t forget here. – 9:13 PM Fred Katz @FredKatz
Julius Randle now 1-for-9 from the field after that last missed layup – 9:12 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Knicks 53, Bulls 50 at half
DeRozan 16 pts
LaVine 15 pts
Bulls 10 TOs
Burks 15 pts
Barrett 11 pts
Randle 0-4, 1 point – 8:38 PM KC Johnson @KCJHoop
Knicks lead by 4 and Randle and Fournier are combined 1-for-8. Turnovers have hurt Bulls this 2nd quarter. – 8:31 PM Fred Katz @FredKatz
Knicks starters:
Alec Burks
Evan Fournier
RJ Barrett
Julius Randle
Mitchell Robinson – 7:13 PM Ian Begley @IanBegley
Quentin Grimes is out tonight, Tom Thibodeau says. Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson are playing. – 5:47 PM Steve Popper @StevePopper
Thibodeau says that Randle and Robinson are a go tonight vs. Chicago. – 5:46 PM Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
Julius Randle is playing tonight – 5:46 PM Marc Berman @NYPost_Berman
Julius Randle makes his return after 3-game shutdown: I ‘had to force myself’ to rest sore quad nypost.com/2022/03/27/kni… – 9:16 AM Marc Berman @NYPost_Berman
#Knicks Julius Randle: I ‘had to force myself’ to rest sore quad nypost.com/2022/03/27/kni… – 8:05 AM Fred Katz @FredKatz
Final: Knicks 104, Pistons 102.
Knicks improve to 33-42 on the season, 11th in the East. They have 12th-best lottery positioning.
• Barrett 21 & 9
• Randle 20-7-5
• Burks 18 & 5
• Quickley 18-6-3
• Bagley 27 & 7 – 5:56 PM Fred Katz @FredKatz
Through three quarters, the Knicks lead the Pistons 80-79.
• Randle 15-7-4
• Burks 15 & 4
• Quickley 15 & 7
• Barrett 14 & 6
• Bagley 19 & 6
Pistons won the third quarter 32-21 to get back in it. Knicks led by 21 in the first half. – 5:20 PM Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Randle ISO and gets stripped. Lazily swipes at Cunningham. Since he never crossed half court and is basket hanging, Randle gets an easy layup attempt. He misses the layup. Doesn’t hustle back and lazily jogs back up the floor, and the Pistons get an easy bucket in transition. pic.twitter.com/hPhr69rAdF – 4:39 PM Fred Katz @FredKatz
Halftime. Knicks lead the Pistons 59-47.
• Barrett 14 & 5
• Quickley 12 & 6
• Randle 11 & 4
• Burks 9 & 3
• Bagley 17 & 4
• Cunningham 12 pts, 4 asts – 4:38 PM James Edwards III @JLEdwardsIII
Bagley has eight of the Pistons’ 12 points. Randle isn’t enjoying covering the skinny version of him. – 3:50 PM Steve Popper @StevePopper
Randle is playing and starting – along with Fournier, Barrett, Burks and Robinson. – 3:08 PM Marc Berman @NYPost_Berman
Julius Randle will start. – 3:08 PM Fred Katz @FredKatz
Julius Randle is a game time decision, Tom Thibodeau said. Mitchell Robinson will “most likely” start. – 2:00 PM Steve Popper @StevePopper
Randle will warm up and if he feels okay he will play. – 1:59 PM Steve Popper @StevePopper
Latest injury report for today’s Knicks vs. Pistons — Randle still listed as questionable (same as he was in Miami Friday). pic.twitter.com/o44U8Yf3dj – 10:32 AM Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Julius Randle (quad) is listed as questionable for this afternoon’s game vs. the Pistons. – 9:57 AM

More on this storyline

Stefan, do you think there’s a possibility Randle could be traded this summer? Bondy: Yeah, I think there’s a possibility, but I will caution that any talk of Randle getting traded at the deadline, I think there wasn’t much to it. There might have been some calls here and there, but nothing ever got serious at all. I think the Knicks are smart enough to understand why would they trade this guy at his lowest point when we wouldn’t get much back for him? -via HoopsHype / March 10, 2022 The New York Knicks are receiving calls for Julius Randle. Per SNY’s Ian Begley, the Sacramento Kings were one of the potential suitors but are likely out after acquiring Domantas Sabonis from the Indiana Pacers. -via Bleacher Report / February 10, 2022 The Kings were among the teams interested in Randle entering this week. Several teams had expressed a degree of interest in Randle ahead of the deadline. The Kings were under the impression that they could acquire Randle for the right return. -via SportsNet New York / February 9, 2022