Report: Kawhi diagnosed with torn meniscus in right knee
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard suffered a torn meniscus during his team's opening-round series against the Phoenix Suns, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Leonard played in Games 1 and 2 against Phoenix but didn't play in Games 3-5 due to what the team labeled a sprained knee. The Clippers were eliminated Tuesday following a 136-130 loss to Phoenix in Game 5.
The two-time Finals MVP is currently weighing his options for rehab, sources told TNT's Chris Haynes.
The meniscus tear is the latest in a growling list of ailments that have afflicted Leonard's right leg in recent seasons. The 31-year-old missed the entire 2021-22 campaign after tearing the ACL in his right knee during the 2021 postseason and has dealt with quadriceps tendinopathy in the same leg since his time with the San Antonio Spurs.
At the time of his ligament tear in June 2021, the Clippers also officially listed that injury initially as a right knee sprain. However, reports surfaced soon after that the team feared it was an ACL tear. After Leonard missed the last two games of the second-round series against the Utah Jazz, followed by all six contests of the Western Conference finals against the Suns that postseason, the franchise finally confirmed the nature of his injury when it announced that Leonard had undergone successful surgery to repair a partial ACL tear.
Leonard averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 41.6% on threes in 52 regular-season games this year. He scored 38 and 31 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively, against the Suns before the Clippers' medical staff reportedly shut him down. The team was also playing without Leonard's co-star Paul George, who had been sidelined since March 21 with his own knee sprain.
Due to a player option for 2024-25, Leonard will be eligible to sign an extension with L.A. this summer. The five-time All-Star is slated to earn $45.6 million next season in the final guaranteed year of the four-year, $176-million contract he signed in August 2021. If he does elect to pen an extension, the first year of his new deal would overwrite the $48.8-million option he holds for 2024-25.