Knicks All-Star undergoes successful ankle surgery

Knicks forward Julius Randle underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle on Friday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the procedure was successful.

Randle will resume basketball activities later in the offseason and is expected to be ready to go for training camp and the beginning of the regular season this fall, sources tell Wojnarowski.

A left ankle sprain cost Randle the final two weeks of the regular season. He returned for the start of the playoffs but sprained the ankle again in Game 5 of the Knicks’ first-round series vs. Cleveland.

Although he was able to play through the injury, suiting up for all but one game in New York’s second-round series against the Heat, Randle became aware during the postseason that he’d probably require surgery on the ankle, writes Wojnarowski.

Randle, 28, earned his second All-Star nod in 2022-23, averaging a career-best 25.1 points per game to go along with 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 77 appearances (35.5 MPG). His production declined significantly in the playoffs, where he averaged just 16.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 3.6 APG on .374/.258/.709 shooting, though it’s safe to assume that drop-off can be attributed at least in part to his ankle problems.

Randle has been mentioned as a possible offseason trade candidate but will continue to be a major part of the Knicks’ game plan in 2023-24 if he remains on the roster. He’s under contract for at least two more years, with a player option for 2025-26. He’ll earn approximately $28.2M next season and $30.3M in 2024-25.