Report: Knicks’ Julius Randle ‘Devastated’ His Season Is Over

According to NBA insider Ian Begley of SNY, New York Knicks star Julius Randle is “devastated” that his 2023-24 season is over. 

Randle will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. The Kentucky product dislocated his right shoulder on January 27 against the Miami Heat.

“Randle wanted badly to return this season, but continued instability in his shoulder prevented him from coming back, per SNY sources,” Begley wrote. “Randle was told by specialists that he wouldn’t be able to get his shoulder in a place where he could play, necessitating the surgery, those sources say.

“Randle is said to be devastated that he can’t return, particularly because he felt the Knicks had a real chance to contend following the OG Anunoby trade, per people familiar with the matter.”

Randle averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks this season while shooting 47.2% from the floor, 31.1% from beyond the arc and 78.1% from the free-throw line. He recorded 18 double-doubles and one triple-double. 

Randle signed with the Knicks in the summer of 2019. He’s averaging 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks in a New York uniform.

The Kentucky product won the 2020-21 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award.

The Knicks inked Randle to a four-year, $117 million extension in August 2021. The lefty is making $25.7 million this season and will make $27.6 million in 2024-25. 

Randle has career averages of 19.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks with the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Knicks. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Lakers. 

The Knicks are 44-31 on the season. They are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. 

If the regular season ended today, New York would face the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. 

The Knicks will not compete for this year’s title with Randle out. The big man is one of the top scorers and rebounders in the NBA.