Julius Randle isn’t trying to claim ownership of the Knicks’ title run, but he’s not running from the part he played in building toward it either. Now with the Brooklyn Nets, the veteran forward says he wants to help create the same kind of success in his new stop.
“Oh no, I appreciate that. What the organization [Knicks] accomplished is great, [it's] been a long time coming.
It took a lot of hard years, a lot of different players to build it up to what it was,” Randle said while answering a question from content creator Edu Marangoni. Marangoni had been giving Randle credit for being one of the key figures in the Knicks’ rebuild a few years ago.
Randle followed that by turning the focus to Brooklyn. “So you know, it's amazing, definitely look forward to creating that in Brooklyn,” he continued.
That mindset arrives as the Nets try to rebound from a brutal 2025-26 season, one that ended with a 20-62 record. Randle joined Brooklyn this offseason after his run with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he was trying to chase a championship after his time in New York.
His Knicks stretch was the best of his career by the numbers. Over five seasons, Randle averaged 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 45.0% from the field and 33.8% from three.
The Knicks moved him to Minnesota heading into the 2024-25 campaign in a deal that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York as the team prepared for a title push. In the two seasons after that trade, the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1999-00 season and won the league title for the first time since the 1972-73 campaign.
It’s fair to point out that the Knicks’ path to a championship included more than one major move, including the trade of Mikal Bridges to New York. Still, Randle’s value was enough to land Towns, and he’s clearly not interested in taking credit for what happened after he left. What he does want is a similar payoff in Brooklyn sometime soon.
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Julius Randles Nets Role Could Shape This Rebuild Fast
Julius Randle arrives in Brooklyn with a different kind of assignment than the one he had across town. After being dealt from the Knicks as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns transaction, he steps into a Nets roster that is clearly in rebuild mode, with the organization hoping his experience can help steady a young group that is still learning how to win together. For a team trying to accelerate its timeline, adding a veteran who can set a tone matters almost as much as any box score production.
Randle has said he wants to bring leadership and mentorship to the mix, and that is exactly the sort of influence Brooklyn is betting on as it tries to shape the next phase of its roster. The optimism around him has already come from both the coach and the owner, and now the question is how quickly that presence translates inside a locker room full of younger players. The Nets do not need him to carry a rebuild alone, but they do need him to help define what it looks like. [Read more 🡒]
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Ben Saraf Is Giving Nets Fans A Reason To Reconsider Him
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The timing matters because Brooklyns point guard picture is starting to come into focus, with Mikel Brown Jr. expected to handle the starting job. That leaves the backup spot open for competition, and Saraf is in the mix against Nolan Traor for the chance to back up the lead guard. Saraf did get more run late last season and showed some progress, which gives the Nets a reason to keep watching closely as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]