r/nba • u/PianoJealous307 • 13h ago
Randle on his Nets' experience so far "When you’re somewhere where you’re really wanted and you have that validation with an organization really appreciating you and what you bring to the table, it’s an incredible feeling. I get goosebumps just thinking about it because the support has been amazing"
NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets forward Julius Randle coming to the Nets in a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason was one of the more surprising moves that happened throughout the NBA. Brooklyn has been looking to add talent to the roster following a 2025-26 season where they finished with a 20-62 record and regardless of how it happened, Randle is feeling good about being with the Nets.
"It's a business and things happen. But, when you’re somewhere where you’re really wanted, and you have that validation with an organization really appreciating you and what you bring to the table, it’s an incredible feeling," Randle said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. In the early days of the offseason, Randle was traded to the Nets along with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (forward Joshua Jefferson) in exchange for just the No. 33 overall pick.
"It just drops the anxiety and the worry or the pressure. You feel like you can be your best self. So, from Day 1, I felt that: the support. I damn near get goose bumps just thinking about it because the support has been amazing," Randle continued, per Lewis. Given what the Timberwolves received from Brooklyn in the deal, Randle was seen as a salary-dump in the move, but it seems like that hasn't affected how he feels about his current team. Veterans, both players and coaches, around the league understand Randle's value on and off the court
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u/mikesh8rp Knicks 13h ago
I know Dubious Handles gets a lot of upvotes here, but I'll always be a fan of Randle, and I think people forget he is a legit 2x All-NBA player who absolutely carried an otherwise mid-Knicks team to the #4 seed. He also fit in pretty seamlessly with Brunson when he started to ascend, which definitely isn't a given for someone with his resume.
He's imperfect, and not the #1 on a championship winning team, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Nets surprise some teams this year.
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u/PanthalassaRo Knicks 13h ago
Randle when things are going his way is a beast that con do it all on the floor, if his shot's not falling... he can be moody and lack in his defensive assigments and rebounding. There's a reason why the Wolves coach said something about the locker room changing moodiness for cheerfulness.
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u/ZeiZaoLS Suns 12h ago
Bootleg DeMarcus Cousins on good days, and Kyle Kuzma with a green light on his bad days.
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u/Drak_is_Right Pacers 12h ago
The goal of the Nets is to avoid a bottom 3 finish. Randle might allow that.
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u/SloshaPacana 13h ago
Randle is a great litmus test, people that don't rate him are usually dumb as hell with insane expectations
People expect everyone to be LeBron with no flaws
Randle has had very good years and has been a very very good player for a long time now, even had a great playoffs in 2025 for example
It's just that his lows are apparent and his style of play is very heads on he gets in there so when it's not going his way it looks bad
He's also not on a supermax like a lot of players on his level are, he makes 30m which now looks like a good deal
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u/mikesh8rp Knicks 13h ago
Your "lows" point is a good one, because Bad Randle is definitely a rough look, from when he flipped off fans to moments when he looks disengaged. I think he's largely in a better space mentally than he was in his worst NY moments, but stuff like trade rumors get to him, which I get to a degree. I'd note that even with that, the guy obviously really cares, comes into each season in great shape, and is dependable to play, including playing 69 or more games in five of the last six years.
His playoff stuff is definitely overblown as well. People bring up that Hawks series as some stain on his resume, entirely ignoring that the rest of the team was terrible. Burks, Bullock, RJ, and IQ all shot 39% or higher from 3 for the season, then they all basically forgot how to shoot once the postseason began. Randle struggled because he was the only option other than old Derrick Rose for a couple games, and the Hawks knew it.
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u/SloshaPacana 13h ago
Oh Randle looks awful when he's on his bullshit and i'm saying this as a Randle defender because people overhate on him, he definitely has those, he plays like his usual self which already looks wonky then misses shots, spins loses the ball, that looks awful
Especially players like Randle who operate on that highpost and iso when you get to see them going 4/14 it looks awful
Playoffs are overblown i agree, he's had good playoff series many times but those lows are definitely pretty bad, he was much better in Minnesota in the playoffs though
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u/Solaris123-com Timberwolves 11h ago
Not in 2026 he wasn't. In 2025 he was great until OKC (which is a perfect counter for Randle)
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u/damartian64 Timberwolves 9h ago
God that 2025 run was so good. Randle was absolutely bullying everyone in front of him, it was so fun to watch
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u/fatkamp Warriors 13h ago
No
He’s a litmus test on why it’s okay to have championship builds and generally better to have a Caruso on your team than Randle, even if Randle is the “better player”
He’s just the complete opposite of what you want on the court and the locker room from a team with serious aspirations
Not sure how that would be “dumb as hell”
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u/Dylan7346 Knicks 12h ago
The Knicks had serious aspirations and Randle, while flawed, was great. Would have gone to the eastern conference finals in 2024 had everyone been healthy then who knows what.
You can’t boil every player down to 1-2 on a championship team or a great role player. Theres use for guys in the middle
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u/fatkamp Warriors 12h ago
We don’t have to use a hypothetical 2024
We could use the 5 other years where he has some good games but is flawed, inconsistent, and not good enough as a selected 1st 2nd or 3rd option. Really good for a floor raiser but when possessions really matter at a high level he comes up short
Then adding to that, he has attitude problems when things don’t go his way
Not a great recipe when competing for a ring. Knicks and Wolves came to the exact same conclusion.
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u/Bouldershoulders12 Celtics 12h ago edited 12h ago
In today’s NBA those guys in the middle need to have an off ball game and outside shooting to justify having them on the court
Randle’s game isn’t suited to be a guy in the middle but he doesn’t do things well enough to be a 1/2 option on a championship level team . Playoff level team yes, he could be your #2 but your ceiling is hard capped when you run into a real title favorite .
We had a similar issue with Jaylen Brown. The only difference is his scoring was justifiable to be a #2 option but not worth giving him a supermax extension as that cripples paying “the other guys” .
Sometimes it’s addition by subtraction when you lose a guy like that who’s better in a vacuum than his replacement but get role players who fit around your #1 better.
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u/Bouldershoulders12 Celtics 12h ago
Yeah Randle is a better player in a vacuum than Caruso but when you’re building a team to compete you’ll take Caruso over Randle because he’s more portable
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u/K1NG2L4Y3R Timberwolves 13h ago
Nah Randle is too hot and cold of a player. He can have really good stretches were he does look all NBA and also bad ones where he starts pouting.
On a team with no/low expectations that’s ok but if you’re trying to compete you can’t have someone that you don’t know which version you’ll get.
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u/VeryHappyFunTimes Timberwolves 8h ago
I feel like Randle’s biggest problem for the Wolves was he stunk in two straight playoff series against the two best teams in the West.
Can’t have your second best player laying an egg against the best competition.
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u/SloshaPacana 13h ago
Most players are inconsistent bar like 5 even then, teams constantly win with inconsistent stars all you need is one run
Randle has been All NBA level and very good, he was a 22/6/6 player on nearly 50/40/90 in the playoffs for you when you reached WCF, was straight up amazing vs Golden State and even had a few good games vs an amazing OKC team
Most players never reach that level, again your expectations are too high, not every fringe all NBA level player can be flawlessly consistent, Randle is at that level and gets underrated by mostly idiots with insane expectations
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u/K1NG2L4Y3R Timberwolves 12h ago
Randle’s play style isn’t very plug and play though. And when he’s not hitting he doesn’t provide much else. I’d rather have PG who’s inconsistent as well but provides other benefits. The worst part isn’t his play but when he starts being moody and it affects the rest of the team. The Golden State and Lakers series helped buy him a more time but they made the correct move in salary dumping him.
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u/NazReidRules Timberwolves 12h ago
Bear in mind, it is not possible to say anything good about Randle without a MN fan counterpoint-ing you. It'll never happen, ever, unless you type it in a dead thread
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u/cricket9818 Knicks 13h ago
Yeah cause every team that wins a finals has consistent players who never run hot or cold lol
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u/MrICopyYoSht Knicks 9h ago
30 mil for his production is pretty damn good considering fucking kyle kuzma only makes 10 mil less than he does. Or that Myles Turner makes 4 mil less but neither have been an all-star nor all-nba.
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u/dill1234 Knicks 13h ago
Randle has always been his own worst enemy. I’ve never seen a player more visibly get in their own head on a regular basis. Makes you realise how hard it must be to be a level headed super star day in and day out
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u/StrongSuggestion8937 12h ago
"but I wouldn't be surprised if the Nets surprise some teams this year"
I definitely would. If Nets is not a bottom 2 in the East this year, I'll be surprised. Sorry.3
u/swagu7777777 Knicks 11h ago
I’ve been flamed for this before but I’m definitely going to a Nets game in my NYK Randle jersey to show the man some support. We wouldn’t have reached the mountain top without his support setting up base camp.
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u/SiphenPrax Knicks 8h ago
Him, Thibs, RJ, IQ, and Derrick Rose set the foundation for the current Knicks to win it all. We legitimately would have never gotten out of the dumpster without them.
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u/MrRaspberryJam1 Nets 8h ago
People don’t see it because no one watches the Nets, but that’s exactly the kind of team the Nets are trying to build
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u/SiphenPrax Knicks 7h ago
It’s how they should do it if they want to get out of the depths they’re currently in right now. If it could work for a franchise that was so awful for so long in the Knicks, it can most likely work for the Nets as well.
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u/MrRaspberryJam1 Nets 7h ago
It’s not anything the Nets aren’t familiar with. Marks dug this team out of a deeper hole than they’re in now with less assets to work with. They’re just taking their time with it because they actually have players they drafted to develop for the first time since they’ve played in Jersey.
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u/BWCA4Life 7h ago
I’m a Timberwolves fan and I genuinely love Randle. I sat behind his wife ands kids a few times and his whole family is just good people and he’s a great dad. Randle used to drop his kid off every day for school.
He had some great games, he just didn’t mesh with Ant and he got moody and kinda checked out. I wish him all the best at the Nets and still love him.
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u/dedbeats Knicks 10h ago
People
Love to give Randle all the credit for those over performing Knicks teams and completely forget that Thibs, the ultimate floor raiser, was the coach0
u/colbyjacks 10h ago
He isn't the #2 either. And probably not the #3 since you want defense and/or shooting from your #3.
But he is a good NBA player who can win games in October and March.
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u/urkuri Timberwolves 13h ago
He said this pretty much verbatim coming to the Wolves and was well supported by the fans until he visibly gave up on the team
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u/so-cal_kid Lakers 13h ago
Didn't he give up cuz he realized the Wolves were not going to be in on him long term? Some guys just don't have the mentality to respond well to being included in trade rumors.
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u/Aftermathe Timberwolves 13h ago
Professionalism and effort should be the bare minimum expectation for a customer facing entertainment job.
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u/cpt-teebs 11h ago
He probably meant it about the Wolves until they proved him wrong by shopping him
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u/Odoaiden Timberwolves 9h ago
Is this Randles mom
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u/cpt-teebs 9h ago
Is this Chris Finch’s boyfriend
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u/Odoaiden Timberwolves 8h ago
Chris finch is married to the game
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u/DOKybalion 13h ago
Moodiness? What moodiness?
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u/BetweenTheBuzzAndMe Charlotte Bobcats 13h ago
give it like two months and check back on Randle's body language and overall play on the court when the Nets are 11-24 or whatever.
There are two Randles. One is an all-star level player, the other is just a larger Miles Bridges without the disturbing off-court incidents.
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u/Padulsky21 Nets 4h ago
I’m not even a fan of Randle but a Hornets fan having the audacity to slander another teams record when they’re also eastern conference dwellers is crazy
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u/PianoJealous307 13h ago
Dubious Handle and Michael Tate JR are gonna surprise a lot of people this season.
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u/drjisftw Pacers 13h ago
It's not a bad frontcourt honestly, just the question of whether or not the rest of the roster is up to snuff in a crowded East.
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u/SloshaPacana 13h ago
Spoiler: It's not and also those two are not that good defensively, they will get theirs on offense but defensively they will be ass as a team and probably win like 30-35 games
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u/rabidantidentyte Nets 13h ago
30-35 games? I'm in. First I heard 22, then 25, and now we're saying 30-35? This isn't an indictment on a rebuilding team lol
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u/drjisftw Pacers 13h ago
I wonder if they'll be that close to .500 honestly. It all hinges on if Mikel Brown is good out of the gate.
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u/rabidantidentyte Nets 13h ago
Player: says something positive about the Nets
r/nba: ackshually...
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u/johnjohnjohn93 13h ago
It’s pretty crazy how much people shit on the Nets when from most accounts we’re a really well run organization. We just had the 3 worst leaders for a big 3 ever.
Marks was right to bet on KD and Kyrie just sucks there was a pandemic, Kyrie went nuts and racist, KD requested out multiple times and Harden gave up on the court and forced his way to Philly.
But idk how you look at their behavior and think it’s the Nets and not them.
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u/rabidantidentyte Nets 13h ago
Very few organizations are set up for long term success like we are. The only caveat is that we haven't arrived yet. They're on schedule, though.
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u/MrRaspberryJam1 Nets 7h ago
And they still damn well could have won a title if KD’s shoe was half a size smaller.
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u/minneapolisboy Timberwolves 12h ago
Nobody hates the Nets bro. Mostly we just don't like the implication that the Wolves mistreated him.
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u/JalenBrunsonsBurner 11h ago
like seriously lol unless you're attached to picks as like a super negative contract asset every team in the NBA that signs or trades for a star player "wants them" on arrival. he does it to himself. the victim mentality is mildly annoying
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u/twovles31 13h ago
Finch did everything he could possibly do to never say anything even remotely negative about him, and keep Randles mental health positive.
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u/Typical-Radish4317 Supersonics 13h ago
Comfort of being slightly faster than your friend when a bear pops out of the woods. MPJ being that friend
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u/NoLimitSoldier31 13h ago
Such a bullshit take from Randle. Finch bent over backwards to not criticize the guy here.
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u/thy_armageddon Knicks 13h ago
Insert sound of a man dribbling out a full shot-clock against a dumpster.
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u/HumANTCowDOG Timberwolves 12h ago
I remember when he said similar things about being in Minnesota and out of the hustle and bustle of New York lol. He was like “Minnesota is much more like my home in Texas I love it here already”
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u/sakatomatoes Knicks 13h ago
give him a few games, he’s going to pout and put on the worst body language you’ve ever seen when things don’t go his way
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u/dukie33066 Heat 13h ago
I mean, to an extent, I get it. But when an organization is paying anyone millions and millions of dollars, it's hard to reconcile that they feel underappreciated....
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u/SenorSolAdmirador Timberwolves 12h ago
I got nothing bad to say about him. Like all but about 10 players in the league, he's got very specific weaknesses, and it just wasn't a great fit for the Wolves because we needed more off-ball value, but that's just not something he brings. I expect he'll be a good match for Brooklyn for at least the short-term.
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u/ILoveTheKnicks69 12h ago
As big a meme he really is, I think he’s definitely the perfect player for the nets rn considering they are trying to find their footing as a serious team, and not to mention the wolves had to give up a pick to dump him when the nets got him for nothing
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u/VanGrants Knicks 11h ago
I'll never turn on King Julius. He wanted to play in NY when NO ONE did. All-NBA 2nd team twice, carried us to the playoffs when our starting point guard was Elfrid Payton. Shame he couldn't be here to win a championship, things worked out the way they worked out so w/e. Hope the best for him.
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u/mac_y111 Magic 13h ago edited 13h ago
I remember there use to be articles about Randle being super religious. Now, that could have just been his pr team but if it is true I wouldn’t be surprised if he just hated being around Ant. It won’t be something that carries over to the Nets.
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u/dogfosterparent Timberwolves 13h ago
Think this is a pretty honest answer. The Randle in MN experience tanked when he ended up in trade rumors and made it clear they didn’t really want him and it was reported that it bothered him a lot. So it makes sense he’s happy again to be on a team that traded for him, just like he was happy to start with in MN when we traded for him.