Knicks' Julius Randle Misses $1.28M Games Played Contract Bonus Amid Shoulder Injury
March 10, 2024
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle will miss out on $1.28 million in incentives after being sidelined Sunday night due to a shoulder injury, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.
Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42By missing tonight's game vs. Philadelphia, Julius Randle will forfeit a $1.28M bonus.<br><br>The incentive was for games played (65) and New York reaching the first round of the playoffs.<br><br>The bonus is now deemed unlikely for next season and the Randle cap hit will get adjusted to…
The incentive required Randle to play 65 games and for the Knicks to make the first round of the playoffs, per Marks.
Randle has made 46 starts this season, and the Knicks head into Sunday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers with 19 regular-season games remaining.
The three-time All-Star is set to miss his 18th straight game because he has not yet been cleared for contact after suffering a shoulder injury on Jan. 27, per SNY's Ian Begley.
The Knicks will receive a tax variance credit worth the amount of the bonus, which is "applied to team salary that counts toward the tax," per Marks.
Randle's bonus is "now deemed unlikely" for next season, so his $30.3 million cap hit will decrease to $28.9 million in 2024-25, according to Marks.
The four-year contract extension Randle signed in 2021, which stretches his time with the Knicks through a 2025-26 player option, includes annual incentives for making the All-Star team, making the All-Defensive team or for helping the Knicks reach the first round while playing at least 65 games.
Each incentive is scaled at five percent of Randle's base salary, per NBC Sports' Dan Feldman. That number sits at $25.6 million this season.
Randle received both the 65-game and All-Star bonuses last season.
Despite raking in another $1.38 million bonus after being named an All-Star reserve for the Eastern Conference in February, Randle fell short of achieving both incentives this year as he recovers from his dislocated shoulder.
Randle rejoined the team for his first road trip since the injury on March 4 and progressed to "light contact" by March 7, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post and Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Randle's goal is to play again this season.
The Knicks, a team currently playoff-bound thanks to a 37-26 record, will hope that means their star forward is back on the court before the playoffs. Randle was averaging 24.0 points per contest prior to his injury.
