Jalen Brunson has opened the doors for the New York Knicks to innovate! Despite being eligible for a contract that would have paid him at least $269.1 million over five years, the point guard has instead settled for a 4-year, $104 million extension. With this, the Knicks save over $113 million and avoid the dreaded ‘Second Apron’ limit, allowing them to add skilled players to bolster their roster. Looking to make the full use of this opportunity, a former NBA player is now insisting that the franchise owner take action by keeping one of their best in hand before going shopping.

Former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas released another episode of his ‘Gil’s Arena’ show earlier today. With Kenyon Martin, Rashad McCants, and Brandon Jennings joining in as co-hosts, Arenas suggested that if the Knicks can wait till the free agency market hits, then they have a good chance of signing any remaining players at a lower price than at the moment. This way, they won’t have to end up removing Julius Randle from their roster and can instead sign him on at a cheap extension deal.

“If I can get him to sign in August, it’d be the cheapest I can get him at,” said Arenas. “So, if I can convince him to take a cheap deal right now, I still have the leverage, I still have big money for whoever’s coming in next year.”

The former player believed that since the current Knicks roster is quite healthy enough, the franchise will not be looking to make any major moves this year. However, this doesn’t mean that franchise owner James L. Dolan still shouldn’t make any moves. After all, an opportunity like the one recently created, thanks to Jalen Brunson, does not arrive daily.

“Brunson put them in a great fu***ng spot” Arenas continued. “Like, you have to be a horrible organization to fu*k this off.” By keeping the dynamic duo of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle together, the hosts of ‘Gil’s Arena’ believed that the Knicks possessed the first proper chance to win a championship since 1999.

Julius Randle is under contract with the Knicks till the 2024-25 season. After that, he is eligible for a $35 million player option. During a segment of Knicks Fan TV on July 10th, podcaster CP the Franchise highlighted that the Knicks can bring up a trade offer with the Minnesota Timberwolves to send Randle there and bring in Karl-Anthony Towns. However, this was before Jalen Brunson signed on his generously reduced extension. Now, the franchise can provide the player option to Randle and sign him on to a new contract that would reportedly pay him up to $181.5 million over four years.

With Randle becoming eligible for an extension by August 3rd, the player may be safe from any other offers from rival franchises. After undergoing surgery to treat his shoulder injury sustained in April, which forced him to be out for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs, the 3x NBA All-Star is not too much in demand at the moment. After all, if All-Star players who are in their prime, like Brandon Ingram, cannot secure max contracts, then can Randle? Therefore, no matter how late, a contract from the Knicks would still be a good option for the player.

Former Knicks GM calls for a Julius Randle retention: “Everything wouldn’t just have to be on Jalen Brunson’s shoulders.”

When it comes to knowing what’s best for an NBA franchise, no one would be in a better position to answer than a member of its respective management circle. The same rule can be applied to former members as well. Therefore, if the Knicks need to make a final decision on Julius Randle, they must fully heed what former General Manager Scott Perry has to say about it.

On the 29th of June, more than a week before Jalen Brunson’s discounted contract started making waves, Perry appeared on a segment of the ‘Hoop Genius’ podcast. Having been GM when Randle joined the Knicks back in 2019, the 60-year-old is aware of the potential that the player possesses.

“People seem to forget who Julius Randle is,” said Perry. “Julius Randle is the only three-time All-Star on his team. He’s the only two-time All-NBA player. You cannot be rushing to get him out of the building.”

Julius Randle certainly has a lot of things working against his favor. He is not a member of the iconic ‘Villanova Knicks’ circle that comprises Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and the newly recruited Mikal Bridges. He has not played since late January, and his future state also remains under a bit of doubt. However, one shouldn’t forget the fact that, before his exit due to the shoulder injury, he was averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. While his three-pointers possessed room for improvement, his 8.6-18.2 average field goals and 5.1-6.6 average free throws spoke a lot about his offensive prowess.

“Julius Randle, you hold onto him unless you can replace him with another All-NBA player or All-Star performer,” Perry continued. “Without him, I don’t know: the Knicks would still be formidable, but they would miss a guy who can create offense against a set defense and when things broke down and everything wouldn’t just have to be on Jalen Brunson’s shoulders.”

Even with the financial relief on their side, the New York Knicks can head in any direction. However, before bringing in someone new, the franchise may choose to focus on who they know first. Therefore, in Gilbert Arenas’ words, they better not “fu*k this off.”

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.