NEW YORK — Kyle Lowry hoped the pain in his right wrist would go away so he could join the new-look Toronto Raptors on the court.

Now the goal is just to get back with them before the playoffs.

The All-Star guard will have surgery Tuesday to remove loose bodies from his wrist, and the Raptors say they hope he can return for the postseason.

Lowry took part in All-Star festivities in New Orleans, competing in the 3-point contest and playing the next night in the All-Star Game. But he said there’s been constant soreness since then and went Monday for a second opinion.

“It was one of those things where we didn’t know it was as serious as it was. That’s why you get second opinions as he did and we decided, he decided to have it done now hopefully to be able to have some time before the playoffs to get some games in,” Raptors Coach Dwane Casey said.

Lowry has often played hurt, but this time the pain was enough that he said he couldn’t move his wrist in a certain position. He and the Raptors believed it would improve – Casey said Sunday the swelling was down and Lowry was day-to-day – though the point guard said he wasn’t surprised by the diagnosis Monday.

“I’m not surprised by anything. It was a little sore, I didn’t know what it was,” Lowry said. “It’s not really something you can say I’m surprised.

Lowry is second on the team with his average of 22.8 points and leads the Raptors with 6.9 assists per game.