Kawhi Leonard underwent knee surgery in May, a source told The Athletic. Leonard played only Games 2 and 3 of the Los Angeles Clippers’ first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks due to knee soreness.
Leonard will be limited to strengthening his knee as the Clippers begin training camp, but the team is optimistic about his recovery.
Leonard first attended a USA Basketball Team camp in July but then did not participate in the Olympics, a process the Clippers had not previously made public.
Leonard and the Clippers signed a three-year, $152.4 million contract extension in January.
“The swelling in his right knee has gone down significantly,” Lawrence Frank said Tuesday. “It’s pretty much healed. He wants to be a part of all of training camp, but we’re going to keep him out of practice and focus on strengthening. The goal is to get him back to 100 percent so he can have a great season — not just this year, but over the course of years. We have a detailed plan, like step-by-step measurements, and we have objective metrics to go from one phase to the next. But he’s very determined and very excited and can’t wait to get started.”
