Brandon Ingram’s Achilles Tear Raises Questions About Clippers’ Medical Check Before Kawhi Leonard Trade

It seems things keep on getting worse for the LA Clippers. First, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and a couple of other executives were banned from the NBA for a year after circumventing the salary cap by paying Kawhi Leonard with illegal endorsement deals. After that, the Clippers parted ways with Leonard as both parties wanted to move on.

While the intention was to start a new chapter with former Toronto Raptors Forward Brandon Ingram as Darius Garland's new running mate, it appears that we won't get to see the formation of that duo just yet. This is because of Ingram's partially torn Achilles, as revealed on media day this week. Clippers content creator known as Jacob the Clipper went on social media to question the team for missing this major detail.

"Bro, this makes no sense," Jacob wrote on X. "They do a physical before the trade is completed. How the hell did Clippers medical staff miss this?? 🤦🏻‍♂️"

The Clippers announced that Ingram is now expected to miss the start of the 2026-27 season. Because his Achilles is only partially torn and he got his surgery in May, there is belief that Brandon could still make it back in time before the regular season ends.

However, there currently isn't a specific timetable for his return.

Brandon Ingram Breaks Silence on His Undisclosed Injury

No one had seen Brandon Ingram's injury announcement coming, especially since he was quiet about it prior to getting traded to the LA Clippers from the Toronto Raptors.

During the Clippers' press conference on media day, Ingram revealed that he didn't know the extent of his injury until he got his surgery. Right now, his goal is to make a speedy recovery as he continues to work on his lower body.

"I'm doing well in my recovery," Ingram stated. "I'm coming along. I've been in a facility for a little over a month now to start recovering, get on the court a little bit, getting stronger, getting stronger in my legs so I could return back safely.

Ingram surprisingly revealed that the ankle issue was persistent throughout the 2025-26 season.

"I had been dealing with some pain throughout the year with the Raptors, especially coming down crunch time," Ingram continued. "I didn't quite know what it was, but, you know, near the end of the season, we figured out what it was, and we thought that surgery was the best thing to do so I could recover well and be ready for this season."

At 29, Ingram is still in his prime. He proved that he's still capable of leading his team to success after notching his first All-Star nod in six years, averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists last season.