Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has reportedly been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his right knee, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN on Wednesday (April 26).
Leonard missed the final three games of the Clippers' five-game first-round series against the Phoenix Suns after suffering the injury during a Game 1 victory, with Los Angeles losing the next four consecutive games to be eliminated.
The Clippers and Leonard will reportedly make a decision on how to treat the injury within the next two weeks, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The team had initially referred to Leonard's injury as a right knee sprain.
Leonard played through the injury in Game 2 and recorded 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes played. The two-time NBA Finals MVP was then ruled out for the next three games, which included the decisive 136-130 loss in Game 5 Tuesday (April 25) night.
The Clippers were already without fellow All-Star Paul George, who had been inactive since March 21 due to a right knee sprain. Leonard and George had only shared the floor in 38 games during the 2022-23 NBA season, going 24-14 in that span.
"It's always in the back of your mind, 'What if.' It's easy to say, 'What if,' because a lot of guys get hurt," Clippers head coach Ty Lue said during his Game 5 postgame press conference via ESPN. "It's just been our luck the last three years."
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