The New York Knicks have a plethora of high-level talent players this upcoming season, but they might not be able to keep them all around long-term, and they will have to make a decision regarding the players that are extension eligible.
The Knicks need to decide between signing Mikal Bridges or Julius Randle to an extension
Newcomer Mikal Bridges and All-Star Julius Randle are the two players who will have big contract situations coming up. Randle became eligible for a four-year, $181.5 million extension in August, and Bridges will be eligible for a two-year, $72.5 million extension on Oct. 1. While they would love to bring both of them back for the long-term, it may not be financially possible unless Randle is willing to take a Jalen Brunson-style pay cut.
Julius Randle is super important to the Knicks
Randle is one of the Knicks’ most important players, as he has made the All-Star team three times in the last four seasons and has been named to an All-NBA team twice. In 46 games last year, he averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and five assists per game before a shoulder injury ended his season early.
They certainly missed his services during the postseason, and one has to wonder if the Knicks would have gone further in the playoffs had he been healthy. However, the eye-opening factor is that the team still looked competitive without him, which raises the question of whether or not he is worth the massive financial commitment.
Randle is a unique player in that he is a three-level scorer as a power forward. Today’s NBA is seeing teams start to move on from using traditional power forwards and going with offensive creators at the four. The 29-year-old is one of the few who have successfully made the transition from being a traditional inside power forward to a three-level threat.
In addition, Randle has a long connection with the team, as he has called New York his home since 2019 and is a major reason for the franchise’s turnaround. They’re going to have a very tough decision to make regarding his extension, as signing him to a max could hard-cap them financially. Brunson’s historically team-friendly extension doesn’t make bringing back Randle an impossible task, but it could affect their ability to retain Bridges as well.
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Bridges may sign a cheaper team-friendly deal to stay in New York
The extension that Bridges is eligible for is already a fairly team-friendly deal. If he decides to wait until next summer, he can sign a max extension of four years and $156 million. NBA insider Marc Stein said back in July that Bridges will likely take the two-year deal to keep the Knicks financially flexible, but until he actually signs that deal, such a transaction can only be speculated.
The Knicks gave up a whopping five first-round picks to acquire Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets at the start of the offseason, so the ideal scenario for them would be that he stays in New York longer than two seasons. Obviously, they have yet to see how Bridges will fit into the Knicks’ system, but he is still a valuable piece that is expected to elevate this team to the next level.
Bridges is one of the game’s most impactful two-way players. He has the ability to score at a high level any given night while also being a top wing defender, and his game seems to be a perfect fit for the Knicks, as he is arguably their missing piece to the puzzle of building a championship team.
The Knicks will eventually need to make a decision between the two players. In a perfect world, both players are back on team-friendly deals and remain competitive for the next several years, but all sides must agree to that kind of commitment. Therefore, they may not be able to keep this core around for very long, so at some point they will need to choose a direction.
