Indiana Pacers winger Caris LeVert will be out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a small mass in his left kidney, the team announced Saturday.
The mass was found during a physical examination prior to the Pacers completing the exchange to acquire LeVert. It will undergo further testing.
“On behalf of my family and me, we want to thank the Indiana Pacers for their support and guidance,” LeVert said in a statement. “We are grateful for their extreme thoroughness during the physical process and I look forward to joining the team and being a part of this great organization as soon as possible.”
The Pacers announced they had acquired LeVert and cash considerations from the Brooklyn Nets as part of the four-team exchange that sent Victor Oladipo to the Houston Rockets. The Pacers also received a future Houston second-round pick and a future Cleveland Cavaliers second-round pick in the deal.
“We acquired Caris because he’s a young player, first and foremost,” the Pacers basketball operations president said. Kevin Pritchard, In a statement. “His skill in basketball and playing on the court speak for themselves and we know he has a great career ahead of him. We will support Caris during this time and we know he will join us on the court as soon as he can.” .
The news became official after a Pacers practice in Los Angeles on Saturday. The Pacers coach, Nate Bjorkgren, Confirmed that LeVert is currently off the team, but said he is “excited” to work with LeVert.
“Obviously I’m very familiar with him. Last year I played against him in the first round of the playoffs, where he was very difficult to handle,” said Bjorkgren, a former Toronto Raptors assistant. “Very good player and very dynamic, so I watched him a lot, I trained against him and now I’m looking forward to having him on our team.”
LeVert, 26, is averaging 18.5 points and six assists in 27.8 minutes per game this season.