Los Angeles Clippers president Lawrence Frank revealed Tuesday that star forward Kawhi Leonard will be held back from certain activities in training camp due to a lingering right knee issue.
Leonard underwent a procedure in his knee over the offseason, sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Law Murray.
“He wants to participate in everything in training camp, but we’re going to hold him back from drill work and really focus on strengthening because the goal is to get him 100% so that he can have a great season,” Frank said, per Murray. “Not just this year but many years.”
Frank added that although the swelling in Leonard’s knee has decreased, there’s no guarantee that the two-time Finals MVP will be ready for the season opener in a month’s time.
“The timing is gonna depend how his knee responds to each phase,” Frank said, according to Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated.
Frank continued, “We’re trending in a good direction … but the timing when it comes to your body and your health, you don’t put time frames on it.”
Leonard played in just two of the Clippers’ six first-round playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks due to inflammation in his right knee. Leonard tore his ACL in that same knee in during the 2021 postseason, which caused him to miss the entire 2021-22 campaign. He also tore that knee’s meniscus during the 2023 playoffs, sidelining him for the final three contests of the team’s first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns.
In July, USA Basketball shared its concerns regarding Leonard’s knee with the Clippers and dropped the 33-year-old from Team USA’s Olympic camp.
Leonard’s 68 games in 2023-24 were the most he’s played in a regular season since 2016-17 when he made a career-high 74 appearances for the San Antonio Spurs.
The Clippers will open their season Oct. 23 against the Suns at their brand-new arena, the Intuit Dome.
