Julius Randle having season-ending surgery in crushing Knicks blow

NBA

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By Peter Botte

Julius Randle did everything he could to make it back to the Knicks this season without undergoing surgery, but the All-Star power forward was unable to avoid that season-ending option.

Randle, who hasn’t played since dislocating his right shoulder on Jan. 27, will undergo surgery and will be reevaluated in five months, the Knicks announced before Thursday’s game against the Kings.

Randle had resumed workouts last month but he was waiting weeks for medical clearance to resume contact that never came.

Randle said on Feb. 21 that he’s feeling “better and stronger” with the aim of returning before the season ends.

But within those same comments, the three-time All-Star acknowledged that surgery on his non-shooting shoulder remained a possibility.

“We’ll see. There’s still necessary steps. It’s a process to everything. I have to weigh out everything ultimately and decide from there,” Randle said. “But right now I’m just focused on trying to avoid [surgery], obviously, and get back on the court as soon as I can.”

OG Anunoby also has mostly been sidelined since Jan. 27 with a right elbow injury that required surgery.

The two-way wing returned for three games in mid-March, but he was slated to miss his ninth in a row Thursday against Sacramento.

Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Josh Hart (wrist) are listed as questionable for the Knicks, who began the day in the No. 5 playoff position in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind the Magic.

“I’m looking at it like this is the team we’re going to have,” Hart said Sunday. “I think that’s how we have to approach it, that those guys aren’t coming back and obviously we’ll be pleasantly surprised if they come back.”

They are 15-14 in 29 games without Randle, who also had undergone ankle surgery last offseason after missing the final five games of the regular season and Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs against the Heat due to that injury. 

The 29-year-old Randle has one guaranteed year remaining on his contract worth $27.6 million for next season, plus a player option worth $29.5 million for 2025-26.