Kawhi Leonard is already dealing with another injury

The (second) honeymoon period has ended very quickly for Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors.

Leonard was ruled out for Toronto’s game on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports reports that Leonard was a late scratch for the game due to left knee swelling.

The seven-time All-Star Leonard, now 35 years old, returned to the Raptors over the offseason in a trade with the LA Clippers. He appeared in the first two games of the season for Toronto, averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game to help the Raptors get off to a 2-0 start.

But a knee swelling issue is obviously a big concern for Leonard given his injury history. Leonard previously suffered a 2021 ACL tear as well as a 2023 meniscus tear, but those were both to his right knee. Now Leonard is dealing with an injury to his left knee, which did also cause him to miss some time for the Clippers last season due to irritation.

During Leonard’s first stint in Toronto during the 2018-19 season, he appeared in just 60 total games as the team enacted a load management plan with him. There is no indication though that Sunday’s absence was maintenance-related as the game was not part of a back-to-back for the Raptors.

Toronto traded away Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and two future first-round picks (plus other draft capital) to the Clippers in order to get Leonard. But now just two games into his Raptors return, Leonard is already dealing with an injury, marking an inauspicious start especially with Toronto recently giving Leonard a new multi-year contract extension.