Indiana Pacers striker Caris LeVert will come out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a small mass in his left kidney, the team announced on Saturday.
The table was found during a physical exam before the Pacers completed the transaction to purchase LeVert. He will be subjected to additional tests.
“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 your extreme depth during the physical process and look forward to joining the team and being part of this excellent organization as soon as possible.”
The Pacers announced that they had acquired LeVert and cash considerations from the Brooklyn Nets as part of the deal with four teams that sent Victor Oladipo to the Houston Rockets. The Pacers also received a future second-round pick from Houston and a future second-round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the deal.
“I bought Caris because he’s a young player in the first place,” said Pacers, president of basketball operations. Kevin Pritchard, is a statement. “His basketball skills and playing on the field speak for themselves and we know he has a wonderful career ahead of us. We will support Caris during this time and we know he will join us on the field as soon as possible.”
The news became official after training in Los Angeles on Saturday. Coach Pacers, Nate bjorkgren, confirmed that LeVert is currently out of the team, but said he was “excited” to work with LeVert.
“Obviously, I know him a lot. Last year I played him in the first round of the playoffs, where he was very difficult to handle,” said Bjorkgren, a former assistant for the Toronto Raptors. “He is a very good and very dynamic player, so I watched him a lot, I trained against him and now I look forward to having him on our team.”
LeVert, 26, has an average of 18.5 points and six assists in 27.8 minutes per game this season.