The recent reports of Kawhi Leonard and his injury are not good.
We now have confirmation that he has a partially torn ACL.
The Los Angeles Clippers have to be devastated.
Kawhi Leonard had surgery to repair a partially torn right ACL.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 14, 2021
However, reports are stating that the Clippers were unaware of the surgery.
When the injury occurred, the assumption was that it was a sprained knee.
Then we heard nothing about his status, other than he was not going to play in each game.
Nobody knew what was going with Leonard’s injury.
Leonard is known as a very quiet individual.
That was the thought process as to why things were quiet within the Clippers organization.
However, it was because Leonard did not tell the team about getting a second opinion.
Now he has gotten surgery and the Clippers are confused as to when that was going to happen.
The scary part is that he can leave this offseason.
Should the Clippers be scared?
To be honest, they shouldn’t be.
Here is why.
We Never Know With Kawhi
The most mysterious man in all of basketball is Leonard.
You can never figure out what he truly is thinking at any given moment.
That is why some rumors need to be taken with a grain of salt.
Kawhi Leonard "loves" the idea of going to play for the Warriors next season, sources tell the Athletic. pic.twitter.com/cDlB83esQl
— NBA Central (@ThNBACentral) July 14, 2021
For the last several years, we hear about what he is thinking, or what he is leaning towards.
However, Leonard can surprise us all.
That is why the Clippers having some worry about what he might do is understandable.
The issue is that they have the upper hand.
They are the closest to him and can gauge what is next move is before other teams will know.
Leonard has multiple options to stay with the Clippers.
He can sign the full max now, sign a max with an option after the fourth year, or sign a two-year deal to gain the supermax in two years.
The Clippers might not know about his plan, but they will sooner rather than later.
Leonard’s Odyssey to LA
Since his last couple of years with the San Antonio Spurs, Leonard was eyeing Los Angeles.
That was the expectation even after winning the NBA championship in his lone season with the Toronto Raptors.
We believed that it was always the Los Angeles Lakers as the team for Leonard, but it was the Clippers all along.
For a couple of years, Leonard knew exactly where he was going when his contract expired.
Why would Leonard leave the one place that he has been trying to get to for years?
It took multiple stops for him to come home and be one of the faces of Los Angeles sports.
Sure, he might feel as though they misdiagnosed that injury, but he is at home.
"Given the fact that Kawhi and his inner circle believe that the Clippers' staff misdiagnosed this injury from day 1, I am not going to be at all shocked if we get another Kawhi bombshell."
— @RealSkipBayless on Kawhi's torn ACL pic.twitter.com/y9elwQ4CPj
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 14, 2021
The journey is finally finished.
Los Angeles is where Leonard feels as though he belongs.
He could’ve gone to the Lakers to team up with LeBron James already, but he decided that he wanted his own team.
The Clippers were his preferred destination and he will not leave during the offseason.
NEXT: 3 Fair Excuses Clippers Can Make After Playoff Exit