Knicks' Julius Randle has a plan for dealing with trade rumors
Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) shoots over Washington Wizards forward Deni Avdija (8) during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
Julius Randle is accustomed to the trade rumors that swirl around the Knicks, well aware of the star chase — including one that precipitated his arrival in New York after the Knicks failed in their attempts to sign the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard.
So when another one surfaced Tuesday that included him as part of a potential package to bring Joel Embiid to the Knicks, he shrugged it off just as he has all the others.
“We’ve been in every rumor since I’ve been here, good or bad,” Randle said. “It’s always a rumor.”
While this one seemed much more fantasy than some others, like the Knicks' pursuit of Donovan Mitchell last summer, Randle had a simple plan for judging the rumors.
"Who are they coming from? Coming from Leon?” Randle said of Knicks president Leon Rose. When told it had come from a Philadelphia newspaper, he said with a smile, “Oh, so it didn’t come from Leon? OK, that’s how I deal with it.”
Welcome to NY
Donte DiVincenzo made his MSG debut as a member of the Knicks in preseason, but he knew that it would be different for the regular-season opener. Nerves were fine, defense and passing were as expected, but he endured a scoreless night, shooting 0-for-4, including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.
“Obviously, I know there’s going to be a different type of energy, regular-season game — Boston, all the moves they made in the offseason,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of time to prepare for the game. Honestly, I’m excited just to get the train moving. Not looking too far ahead, but at the same time it’s a long season. So just get those early jitters out and keep it moving.”
As the one new piece in the Knicks' rotation DiVincenzo said he didn’t believe there would any additional learning curve for him as the season starts.
“No, I think in a weird way, it’s the third team in two seasons if you will,” DiVincenzo said. “I was kind of used to trying to be the new guy, getting acclimated. But this team, coaching staff, front office, everybody’s done a great job of making me feel like I’ve been on the team for a long time. And it does help when you have former teammates, former college teammates, and you also have other guys that don’t have egos, don’t have anything to do with no drama, just all about getting better, having fun and playing as one unit. That makes it easy. They help me with little things I see and that’s it.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
