Julius Randle did everything he could for two months to make it back to the Knicks before the playoffs without undergoing surgery, but the All-Star power forward was unable to avoid the devastating option he and the organization had been dreading.
Randle, who hasn’t played since dislocating his right shoulder on Jan. 27, will undergo season-ending surgery and will be reevaluated in five months, the Knicks announced before Thursday’s game against the Kings.
Randle hasn’t spoken to the New York media since late February, but he was quoted Thursday saying he suffered a setback during the rehab process before ultimately making his decision to shut it down for the year.
“I want everyone to know that I did everything in my power to get back this season,” Randle said in a Bleacher Report interview. “That was my intention, to be playing right now. That’s why I didn’t opt for surgery when it happened.
“But what caused me to finally go through with getting surgery was about five weeks ago, I went through a full-contact session in pads and re-injured my shoulder. My s–t wasn’t stable. I felt like I was in the same state when I first dislocated it, and it’s been an uphill battle ever since.
“Choosing to get surgery was my only option at this point. It’s frustrating, but I’m at peace knowing I tried everything.”
Josh Hart had said something similar a few days earlier — admitting he’s “looking at it like this is the team we’re going to have” — so the Knicks clearly were bracing for this news.
In contrast to Randle’s comments on Thursday, the Knicks misleadingly had maintained all along that Randle had resumed workouts but had been waiting for weeks for medical clearance to resume full contact that never came.
In late February, in his first public comments since suffering the injury, the three-time All-Star had acknowledged that surgery on his non-shooting shoulder remained a possibility.
“Well, we knew it was a possibility all along. He did all that he could to try to get back, and he never got to the point where he felt comfortable with it,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said before Thursday’s game. “It’s a tough break for him, but our reality is what our reality is, and that’s the one thing that I’m proud of with our team is that they’ve shown great fight all year long when guys have gone out.
“So we were approaching it as if we weren’t going to have him, and if we got him, it would have been a bonus for him. So just keep doing what we’re doing.”
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.
The Knicks entered Thursday’s game with a 15-14 mark in 29 games without Randle, who also had undergone ankle surgery last June 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.
He had not missed a game this season until suffering the injury in a collision with Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., and he finishes the year with averages of 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
The five-month reevaluation time frame means it’s uncertain if he’ll be ready for the start of training camp in September.
“I haven’t talked to him since the other day, but I will,” Thibodeau said. “Look, you don’t wanna see anyone get hurt. In his case, he went through last summer and then he was having a terrific season.
“But this is part of it. If you’re playing pro sports, injuries are part of it. And so, he’ll take care of his shoulder and then there will be rehabbing and he’ll be ready for next season. So in the meantime, the guys that are here, we have to lock into the challenges that we have and get ready for what’s coming.”
Hart, who remained in the lineup Thursday after being listed as questionable with a wrist injury, and midseason-acquisition Precious Achiuwa will continue to get minutes at the power forward spot in Randle’s absence.
The Knicks began the day in the No. 5 playoff position in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind the Magic.
“The next guy get in here, get the job done,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve said this to you guys from the start. We’re not replacing Julius individually. We’re doing it collectively. And that’s one thing that this team has responded extremely well to.”
