Kawhi Leonard Addresses Return Date From Injury

Kawhi Leonard addressed the media about his ACL injury for the first time

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Up until Monday afternoon, any news about Kawhi Leonard's injury had been simply speculation from those around him. Both Steve Ballmer and Lawrence Frank gave similar answers when asked about a potential return this season; however, until recently, there was nothing directly from Kawhi himself.

The LA Clippers held their media day on Monday afternoon, and Kawhi Leonard was finally asked about his injury status. While he continued to reiterate that he is taking it day by day, he did provide a comment that seemingly left the door open for a potential return this season.

When asked about why he decided to sign a long-term deal with the Clippers this offseason rather than a 1+1, Kawhi said that "I wanted to secure some money, and I wanted to be able to come back if I was able to this year. If I would have took the one and one, I probably would have not played just to be cautious and opted out and took a five-year."

Kawhi's response indicates that a factor in him signing a long-term deal with the Clippers, was indeed the desire to potentially play this year. Since he has secured long-term money, he is more likely to come back this year than if he were set to enter free agency again next summer after signing a 1+1.

While we are still without an official timeline, Kawhi Leonard himself has now expressed the desire to return at some point this upcoming season. With four years of guaranteed money in the bank, it seems as if he is willing to leave the door open to that possibility.

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