Before he arrived in the Twin Cities, Minnesota Timberwolves star forward Julius Randle played for several seasons with the New York Knicks. The Knicks are still alive in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, as are Randle and the Timberwolves, so there’s the possibility that the two teams would meet in the NBA Finals.
Following the Timberwolves’ 143-101 Game 3 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center in Minnesota on Saturday night, Randle was asked if he’s still communicating with his former Knicks teammates amid the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
"Have I talked to them? I wouldn't tell you if I did," the former Kentucky Wildcats star answered (h/t Jonah Maves of Zone Coverage).
Randle suited up for the Knicks for five seasons from the 2019-20 campaign to the 2023-24 season. In what turned out to be his final season with the Knicks, New York reached the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Randle, however, did not see action in that postseason run due to a season-ending shoulder surgery that he underwent in April of that year.
The Knicks later sent him to Minnesota via a three-team trade that also involved the Charlotte Hornets.
Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30)
Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30)
Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
In the 42-point Timberwolves blowout of Oklahoma City, Randle scattered 24 points through 30 minutes on a 9-for-15 shooting from the floor to go along with four rebounds and three steals. It was a great bounce-back performance for Randle, who coughed up just six points on an atrocious 2-for-11 shooting in Game 2.
As for the Knicks, they are down 2-0 in their Eastern Conference finals series against the Indiana Pacers.