Timberwolves’ Julius Randle reveals ’emotional’ reaction to Knicks trade
The Minnesota Timberwolves held their first press conference with Julius Randle, who was just acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, and he opened up on the emotions of that trade as well as how excited that he is to join his new team.
“Yeah it was a lot of emotion, you know, you spend a certain amount of time in a place, New York, going there five years ago and you know having a goal in mind to accomplish a lot of great things and a lot of blood sweat and tears put into that organization, uniform,” Julius Randle said, via New York Basketball on X. “Initially it’s always gonna be a shock. But for me, afterwards I woke up the next morning I was just really, really excited. It was a breath of fresh air. I’m excited to bring everything that I learned here over the past five years and you know help these guys out. You know my only thing here is I just wanna help. I wanna help Ant, I wanna help Rudy, Naz, all those guys you know, I wanna help win a championship so that’s the only thing that matters.”
JuliusRandle’s trade reaction: “It was a lot of emotion…New York…A lot of blood sweat & tears put into that uniform… Initially it’s always gonna be a shock…But…woke up next morning really really excited. It was a breath of fresh air…Just want to help…win a championship” pic.twitter.com/R1i6osHDTM
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) October 3, 2024
Part of the reason why Randle was traded was due to his contract situation with the Knicks. He had a player-option after this season and was in all likelihood going to opt-out, meaning that New York likely had to decide between extending him or trading him to avoid losing him for nothing. For the Timberwolves, they get financial flexibility by moving Towns’ contract, while also getting a great value contract in Donte DiVincenzo in addition to a potential piece for a winner in Randle.
Randle was a big part of what was built in New York, as the Knicks were one of the worst teams in the NBA when he signed there. Now, he starts a new chapter on another championship contender. He indicated that he wants to stay for the long-term, despite the player-option still being in play.
“For me, being here is super important. You want to be somewhere where you’re wanted,” Randle said, via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I feel wanted here. … Ultimately, yeah, I do want to be here.”
Julius Randle excited to reunite with Chris Finch
Randle previously played for Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans, and he had nothing but good words to say about him.
“That was the easiest the game has ever felt, playing under Finch. He’s just that good,” Randle said, via Krawczynski.
It will be interesting to see if Randle can recapture the success he had in New Orleans this season.
The post Timberwolves’ Julius Randle reveals ’emotional’ reaction to Knicks trade appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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