NBA Rumors: Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Underwent Procedure for Offseason Knee Injury | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, who dealt with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee last season, may not be ready in time for his team’s season opener against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 23.

According to Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic, Leonard underwent surgery on his knee during the offseason.

Leonard suffered from swelling in his knee and he missed the Clips lost their final eight regular season games, as well as Games 1, 4 and 5 of their first-round playoff series, to the Dallas Mavericks due to the ailment. However, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, injuries have hampered Leonard considerably in the past, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament that kept him out of action for the entire Season 2021-22 and a right quadriceps injury that limited him to nine games in 2017-18. Since that campaign, Leonard has missed 14 or more regular-season games each year.

Leonard was also scheduled to play for Team USA at the Summer Olympics, but was cut from the roster in favor of Boston Celtics guard Derrick White.

Grant Hill, a Basketball Hall of Fame member and Team USA executive director, said he didn’t want to get into “details” but the suggestion was that it had to do with the program’s concerns about Leonard’s right knee.

“I think he wanted to be here, just like all the other guys do, and we certainly don’t take that lightly,” said Grant Hill, a Basketball Hall of Fame member and executive director of Team USA, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

“It speaks to the program and the opportunity, and so I know personally what it’s like to want to do something and your body just isn’t right. And I’ve been through that myself. And so I applaud him for coming here and being willing to make the sacrifices, giving up his summer and representing our country and playing for our program. … Ultimately, it didn’t work out.”

The Clippers disagreed with the move.

“No, it was USAB’s decision and I was honestly very disappointed with the decision,” Frank said, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.

“Kawhi wanted to play. We wanted him to play. I was there for the first two practices, he looked really good. He was a full participant in everything they did. I wasn’t there for the third practice, where they finally decided to go in a different direction (last Wednesday).

“I told them I really wish they would have given Kawhi more time.”

When fit, he is one of the NBA’s best two-way players and a cornerstone of the franchise, as evidenced by his 2018-19 NBA championship lead with the Toronto Raptors.

The hope, of course, is that Leonard can recover and have a relatively healthy season. It’s possible Leonard will miss the season opener, but Frank at least offered a glimmer of hope that it’s not a long-term concern that would affect him for the entire year.