New York Knicks power forward Julius Randle underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Randle is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall.
“The procedure, which was performed Friday and considered successful, will allow Randle to resume basketball activities later this summer and be fully recovered for the start of the 2023-24 season, sources told ESPN on Saturday,” Woj wrote. “Randle played through two significant ankle sprains in the final stages of the Knicks’ season when he became aware of the probable need for surgery, but he decided to push through the injury to remain in the lineup for New York’s run to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“After playing the first 77 games of the season, Randle missed the regular season’s last five games with the first sprained ankle. He reinjured the ankle in Game 5 of the first-round series against Cleveland, and eventually missed his lone game of the playoffs: Game 1 vs. Miami in the Eastern Conference semifinals.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Julius Randle & New York Knicks Updates
Randle averaged 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists this season while shooting 45.9% from the field, 34.3% from beyond the arc and 75.7% from the free-throw line. The lefty signed a four-year, $117.1 million extension with the Knicks in August 2021. The Kentucky product will make $25.6 million next season and $27.6 million in 2024-25.
The Knicks lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in six games. Randle averaged 16.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in the 2023 playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Heat while shooting 37.4% overall and 25.8% from 3-point land. The All-Star shot only 3-of-14 from the floor in Game 6 versus the Heat in South Beach.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Julius Randle & New York Knicks Updates
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith wants the Knicks to trade Randle this summer. Smith is a huge fan of the Knickerbockers.
“Julius Randle, I am done with this man,” Smith said on May 12. “I’m calling for the New York Knicks to trade him. You’re not going to win with him. His body language, the second his shot is not falling, he’s defeated and it has contagious effect. It’s like a virus that hits everybody. … Julius Randle is not the answer. Trade him. He needs to go. Because every postseason, this is what he does, and that’s the way that it is.”
Want the latest in NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
