Out of nowhere, surprise! Los Angeles Clippers announced that Kawhi leonard, his main star and great absentee from the team that fell in the NBA Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns, has undergone surgery.
The reason? Repair a partial tear of the cruciate ligaments in your right knee, an injury that the Los Angeles team did not communicate while the playoffs were developing.
Kawhi was injured in Game 4 of the Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz on June 14.. Since then there has been a lot of speculation about his physical condition, and the Clippers only slipped that he had a knee sprain by then.
In December, the player spoke of his future inside or outside of LA in these terms: “Obviously, if I’m healthy, the smartest decision is to reject my player option., but that does not mean neither that I stay nor that I go ”.
The star has a player option to renew an additional year for $ 36 million. He must exercise it this summer, or else he would be a free agent again to hear offers from the Clippers themselves and other teams.
Leonard has averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 52 games. this season, his second in Los Angeles, his hometown. A foot injury caused him to miss nine straight games in April, and then came his knee to spoil the Clippers’ journey in these playoffs.
For now, after undergoing surgery, the Clippers continue to send cryptic messages about the player’s situation: has no return date expected for now.