Kyrie Irving Out for Season, NBA Playoffs, Will Undergo Knee Surgery

Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for the duration of the regular season and the playoffs after undergoing knee surgery last month.  

The Celtics announced Irving had another procedure on his knee to "remove two screws implanted in his patella from an injury suffered during the 2015 NBA Finals." Boston announced Irving will make a full recovery in four-to-five months.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN first reported the news.

Irving, 25, underwent surgery to alleviate pain in his left knee March 24. The procedure was initially expected to keep him out three to six weeks.

Irving originally fractured his kneecap during the 2015 NBA Finals. He began experiencing increasing discomfort in the knee in early March, and it got progressively worse to the point he needed surgery. A follow-up procedure was always expected at some point, but Irving and the team were hoping it could come in the offseason.

Additional surgery may be needed in the future. 

"When I say it shouldn't affect his career, I'm saying his knee is very structurally sound," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said on 98.5 the Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich (h/t NBC Sports). "It isn't like a long-term thing. There could still be some challenges."

Irving averaged 24.4 points and 5.1 assists on a career-high 49.1 percent shooting in his first year in Boston. He came to the Celtics in an offseason trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers after requesting a move to no longer play with LeBron James.

Boston will now enter the postseason without Irving and Gordon Hayward, who suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia against Cleveland on opening night. The Celtics are the East's No. 2 seed despite the rash of injuries.