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Julius Randle lit up the Empire State Building and he wants to continue lighting up MSG for years to come.
Standing atop NYC’s iconic skyscraper Friday, the Knicks power forward reiterated his long term desire when asked about the possibility of adding years to his contract this summer.
“Yeah, I’ve always said from the very beginning I would love to be here in New York and I would love to continue to add on to what the guys did in the playoffs,” said Randle, who can also become a free agent in 2025. “I feel like that was my personal — biggest personal goal, or I’d say team goal in a sense, was when I got here is to be able to build and compete and to be at the point where we’re at now, where it’s an actual possibility [to win a championship].
“So really, that’s what my focus is, doing whatever I can to make sure I get healthy and get back and make sure I’m ready whenever we start playing again and contribute to winning. That’s really all my focus is and that stuff always in my career has taken care of itself.”
Randle, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, is eligible for an extension worth as much as $182 million over four years.
Signing it also would mean Randle, who recently switched back to CAA for his representation, can’t be traded for six months.
It’s among the most significant personnel decisions for the Knicks this offseason, along with extensions for Tom Thibodeau and Jalen Brunson plus new contracts for OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Randle missed the final 36 games of the season and playoffs after dislocating his shoulder in late January.
He pushed to return before the playoffs but suffered a setback during rehab and never got comfortable with his shoulder, opting instead for season-ending surgery.
Nearly two months later, Randle said “recovery’s been great” but he hasn’t begun on-court work.
“A lot of it is just being still and recovering right now,” he said. “Not really much I can do because I just had to kind of let my body recover and heal after surgery.”
Though his attempt to return without surgery was unsuccessful, Randle, 29, said the long-term benefit of the grueling rehab was centered on strengthening the shoulder and beneficial toward recovery even after going under the knife.
Next season’s training camp begins in about four months.
“I think really that rehab that I did for a couple months before really helped me out of surgery because coming out of surgery I felt amazing,” Randle said.
Randle, the active Knicks leader in minutes and games played, was enjoying one of his best seasons before tumbling over Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and dislocating his non-shooting shoulder on Jan. 27.
The injury occurred as the Knicks were wrapping up their best month in 30 years.
But even without their power forward and a few other injured teammates, the Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, secured their most playoff wins since 2000 before succumbing to the Pacers in Game 7 of the conference semis.
The success has Randle optimistic about next season — and beyond.
“Yeah, it was extremely tough [not to play]. Obviously because as a competitor you want to be out there. But I’m so proud of the guys, man. I can go down the line — start with Jalen, he did amazing. Great leadership,” Randle said. “Guys like Josh [Hart], Donte (DiVincenzo). Isaiah, Precious [Achiuwa], Deuce [McBride], all those guys stepping up and filling in a bigger role and playing the way that they did was absolutely amazing. I’m excited just to be able to help whenever I can get back.
“That’s the motivation. We can always say what if, this, that and the next. But our job right now is to, one, get healthy first off, and then continue to get better, make strides and continue to just improve as individuals. I think everybody is excited to get back and get things going next year. But a little time before that.”
Randle symbolically pulled the light switch of the Empire State Building to shine its top blue and white, an ode to the 140th anniversary of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Randle recently donated $10,000 to the MSK Center Kids.
“I’ve done stuff within cancer research before with children,” Randle, the winner of the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist for January, said Friday. “And my wife (Kendra), this is an organization that’s obviously near and dear to her, with her family as well. And she’s done things with Memorial Sloan Kettering. When the opportunity came to represent them and be able to help out and bring more notice and recognition to it, of course, I couldn’t pass on it.”