Julius Randle is walking into Brooklyn with a familiar kind of mission: help build what he just watched across town.
The veteran forward saw his former team, the New York Knicks, win a championship, and now he wants to help the Nets develop the same kind of standard. For Randle, that starts with experience, leadership and a young roster that needs direction.
“Ah, no, I appreciate that," Randle told digital content creator Edu Marangoni when asked if he viewed himself as a champion, too. "What the organization accomplished is great.
Been a long time coming. Took a lot of hard years, a lot of different players, to build it up to what it was.
It’s amazing. Definitely look forward to creating that in Brooklyn.”
Randle’s path to this point was part of the Knicks’ rise in its own way. His $33 million salary in 2024 became a major trade piece before the season, when New York dealt him and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns in September. Towns went on to average 13.6 points and 10.6 rebounds in a 4-1 series victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Now Brooklyn is asking Randle to help shape a different kind of climb. The Nets are in a rebuild, and that makes his presence even more important. The team has been light on veteran leadership, and that’s changed with Randle in the mix.
Coach Jordi Fernández said he’s excited to coach the 6-foot-9 forward because he can lift the team’s floor. General manager Sean Marks also overhauled the roster this offseason, with Brooklyn entering the year with the third-most cap space.
Randle, 31, spent three seasons as the Knicks’ top offensive option before Jalen Brunson arrived in the 2022 offseason. He grew into a reliable 20-point scorer, powering his way through smaller defenders with a 250-pound frame while also expanding his three-point volume.
He stayed productive alongside Brunson, too, averaging more than 24 points over their two seasons together. That matters for Brooklyn, where he’ll be expected to share touches with players who also want the ball, including rookie Mikel Brown Jr. and Michael Porter Jr., who had the highest usage of his career last season.
The challenge in Brooklyn is obvious. The Nets are trying to create a championship culture from the ground up, and they’re doing it on the other side of town after watching the Knicks reach the top. Randle is arriving as the experienced voice in the room, and Brooklyn is counting on that to matter.
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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 🡒]