Clippers' Kawhi Leonard Had 'Cleanup' Surgery on Knee Injury; Faces 8-Week Recovery

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard had a "cleanup" procedure on his torn meniscus at the start of June and is facing an eight-week recovery, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told reporters on Thursday night.

Frank added that Leonard feels "terrific" and should be cleared in time for training camp in October.

Leonard's 2022-23 season came to a premature end when he suffered a knee injury in the Clippers' first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns.

Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told reporters prior to Game 3 that the five-time All-Star suffered the injury in the first game of the series. He was able to play through it in Game 2 before being shut down.

After the Clippers were eliminated with a 136-130 loss to the Suns in Game 5, Frank confirmed Leonard was diagnosed with a torn meniscus. The team wasn't sure at that point if the injury required surgery.

The loss of Leonard was compounded by the fact that Los Angeles didn't have Paul George for the final 14 games of the season, including the playoffs, due to a sprained right knee.

Injuries have knocked Leonard out of the playoffs twice in the previous three seasons. He suffered a torn ACL in Game 4 of the 2021 Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz.

When the two-time NBA Finals MVP was able to play last season, he didn't look any different than before his torn ACL. He averaged 23.8 points on a career-high 41.6 three-point percentage, 6.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 52 appearances.

The Clippers will closely monitor Leonard's recovery as they prepare for the 2023-24 season. He hasn't played more than 57 games in a season during his four-year run in Los Angeles.