James Harden may have thought that his trade from the Rockets to the Nets was a godsend. For Caris LeVert, it really could have been.
Pacers, which acquired LeVert in a four-team deal that also included the Cavaliers, announced on Saturday that the 26-year-old swingman is not yet ready to outfit his new Indiana teammates because an MRI revealed a small mass in his left kidney.
Without the exchange, LeVert would not have had a physical exam and an MRI scan. Now, he will run more tests to try to solve this important medical problem.
“On behalf of my family and I, we want to thank Indiana Pacers for their support and guidance,” said LeVert in a statement released by the team. “We are grateful for your extreme meticulousness during the physical process and I look forward to joining the team and being part of this great organization as soon as possible.”
Pacers also deserve some praise here, as they could have used the results of the physical exam to disrupt the trade. But that was not what Indiana was talking about here.
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“We acquired Caris because of who he was when he was young in the first place,” said Pacers basketball operations president Kevin Pritchard. “His skill in basketball and in the court game speaks for itself and we know that he has a great career ahead of him. We will support Caris in this period and we know that he will join us on the court as soon as he can. “
LeVert has had more than his fair share of health problems in his career, but nothing that scary. His junior and senior seasons in Michigan were interrupted by injuries to his feet and legs; and in 2018 with the Nets, he suffered a right foot dislocation in a frightening incident against the Timberwolves that he feared would be much worse at the time.
LeVert managed to return later that season, but only managed to play 60 games in a year once in his career.