It would take a lot to knock legendary New York Knicks player/announcer Walt “Clyde” Frazier off his game, but the team had at least one more surprise in store for him earlier this month.

Speaking on the FanDuel web series Run It Back, Frazier noted that the Knicks’ trade of Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns left him “stunned.” The deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, which also included Donte DiVincenzo, ended the rollercoaster period for Randle, who established himself as an enduring NBA star during his time in New York.

While Frazier praised the potential impact Towns could have on the Knicks’ championship run, he couldn’t help but regret the missed opportunity Randle got in Manhattan, especially after last season ended prematurely due to injury.

“I love Randle,” Frazier said. “I thought he would get revenge, he had a lot to prove.”

Randle’s time in New York perhaps defines the concept of bittersweet in NBA circles: He was undoubtedly instrumental in returning the Knicks to the realm of relevance, representing the team in three All-Star Games. Injuries, however, ate away at his impact in the postseason, including a shoulder ailment that ended his last metropolitan tour in January.

That’s why Frazier believes Randle occupies an “unprecedented” place in the minds of Knicks fans.

“I’ve never seen that before, because Knick fans are the best,” Frazier said when host Lou Williams asked him why New Yorkers might not fully appreciate Randle’s big-city legacy. “I think what turned them against Randle was that he gave them the finger or something one time and it alienated half of them. They never forgave him for that, but they did forgive the other half.’

Frazier referenced a January 2022 incident in which Randle, struggling to build on his breakout season, gave a thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans as they sarcastically cheered him during a rivalry game against Boston. Although Randle put up consistent, quality numbers after that cursed season, he never reached the next other Knicks All-Stars landed during their respective tenures.

“He was never a guy like Bernard (King) or a normal superstar playing for the Knicks where he got that adulation,” Frazier explained. “But I was happy to see, now that he’s been traded, that they’re saying what he did for the team. I mean, he was an All-Star, All-NBA player, so bring some stability to the franchise before he has left.”

Randle can now restore his legacy in Minnesota, which looks to build on last season’s run to the Western Conference Finals. In his first three games as a Wolf, Randle averaged 24.3 points and 7.7 rebounds and fell just short of a double-double in Saturday’s victorious home opener against Toronto.

Randle returns to Madison Square Garden on January 17. In the meantime, the Knicks (1-1) host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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