On Saturday, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The procedure was performed on Friday, and Randle is expected to be ready for the New York Knicks training camp before the start of the 2023-2024 season.
The All-NBA forward played through two ankle sprains near the end of the Knicks season, one two weeks before the end of the regular season and another during the first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Randle continued to play through the injury despite admitting that it was “hell” to get his body ready to play.
Unfortunately, for Randle and the Knicks, Randle wasn’t able to play up to his usual standards during the playoffs.
During the 2023 postseason, Randle finished 30th among all players with a 27.4% usage rate. Of that top 30, he had the lowest effective field goal percentage at 43.2%. In fact, only Bones Hyland and Jordan Poole had lower effective field goal rates among the top 50 players in usage rate.
This has led to speculation that New York could look to trade Randle in the off-season in order to build a title contender around Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett.
Given that Randle averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds per game during the regular season and earned All-NBA and All-Star honors for the second time in his career in New York, there was some thought that he would have value on the open market, even despite his contract.
However, the surgery could limit any trade possibilities over the summer with Randle’s recovery timeline uncertain this far out.
It’s just another twist in the mercurial saga of Julius Randle and the Knicks.
