Julius Randle said goodbye to New York with a simple message Sunday night.
“NEW YORK! THANK YOU,” Randle wrote in a post on Instagram, along with a photo of him playing at the Garden, just days after news broke of the blockbuster deal that is sending the forward out of town for star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Reports of the massive deal broke late Friday night, and the complicated trade involved sending Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, DaQuan Jeffries and a first-round draft pick to Minnesota for Towns.
The deal has not officially been completed as of Sunday, and ESPN reported the expectation is the trade would be completed “early this week.”
Randle spent the past five seasons with the Knicks, earning three NBA All-Star nods during his tenure in the Big Apple and being named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2021.
He had also been a two-time All-NBA selection as a Knick.
The Knicks star had just recently been at a groundbreaking ceremony of the Earl Monroe New Renaissance Basketball School in the South Bronx last Wednesday, and he and his family had been in attendance at the Sept. 21 New York City FC match against Inter Miami at Yankee Stadium.
Following the news, Randle’s wife, Kendra, posted a goodbye message to her Instagram story.
“Forever grateful for this experience. New York was amazing to our family,” Kendra wrote. “[Son] Kye Kye grew up in the garden. We got here when he was 1.5 years old and this year he will be 8. So many of you embraced him/us and made this experience unforgettable and I’m forever grateful. Bittersweet moment but so excited for a new, healthy chapter for our family.”
A number of Knicks fans have also posted messages of thanks to Randle for his time with the team, which included a lengthy post on X by actor and noted Knicks fan Ben Stiller.
“Through it all his commitment to the community and the team was and is undeniable,” part of Stiller’s post read. “Grateful for his time here. He is an all star and we’re lucky to have had him. Wish him all the best in Minnesota, he is going to bring a lot of toughness and grit and dedication to that team and community.”