Kyrie Irving May Need Another Surgery on Knee Injury, Danny Ainge Says

Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving eventually may need to have another surgical procedure done on his left knee. 

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said during Thursday's appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich (via Jay King of MassLive) that the team does expect Irving to be "fresh and healthy" for the postseason:

"We knew coming into this year that he probably wasn't going to be an 82-game guy. He was going to be a 72-, 75-game guy in order to keep him fresh for the playoffs. And that's what it's been. And we're just extra cautious. We have the good fortune of being extra cautious right now. And we want him fresh and healthy. And we think that he will be come playoff time."

Irving previously had surgery on the same knee in June 2015 after he fractured his kneecap with the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. 

Ainge didn't specify when Irving would need surgery. He only said it could happen this summer or "maybe the following summer or maybe the summer after that."

Irving left Boston's March 11 game against the Indiana Pacers with knee soreness after playing 16 minutes. The next day, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Celtics are confident it's "no more than tendinitis" and he's considered day-to-day. 

The Celtics have already clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Toronto Raptors by 4.5 games for the No. 1 overall seed with 14 games remaining.

Irving leads the team with 24.4 points and 5.1 assists per game.