The Knicks' Julius Randle has addressed rumors of him being placed on the trading block by the franchise ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, saying it is simply "gossip."
Randle has quickly gone from Prince of New York after an All-NBA and All-Star season in 2020-21 to having his name mentioned in potential deals.
"Sounds like gossip to me," he replied to a reporter's question following Knicks practice.
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The question to Randle was coming from an article written by Ian Begley of SNY who suggested that Randle could be available for the right return as the Knicks try to salvage their season.
Reporter: "The trade deadline is coming up and your name is coming up."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 4, 2022
Julius Randle: "Who reported it?"
"I mean, it's been out there."
"Who reported it?"
Randle got into an exchange with a Knicks reporter who said he was involved in trade rumors 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/vAhu1wYcFa
The rumors have only intensified since then, with Brian Windhorst of ESPN indicating on his podcast that a deal with Sacramento, in which the Knicks would receive De'Aaron Fox while sending over Randle, was a possibility.
"This has been reported elsewhere, but I've heard as well that the Knicks have shown some interest in De'Aaron Fox," said Windhorst on his podcast. "The player that makes the most sense in that swap is Julius Randle."
The Knicks were 41-31 last season and the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, making the playoffs for the first time since 2012-13. Through 52 games this season they are just 24-28, placing them 12th in the East and one game out of the Play-In picture.
Randle has not been the same player he was last season, posting averages of 18.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.3 percent from 3-point range.
Randle signed a four-year, $117 million deal in the offseason that will keep him under contract with New York through 2025 (plus a 2025-26 player option).
