On being traded to Indiana from Brooklyn, Caris LeVert underwent a team physical. An MRI revealed a mass on his left kidney. He was immediately listed as out indefinitely to undergo further testing.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Pacers announced that LeVert successfully underwent surgery to treat the renal carcinoma of his left kidney, and is expected to make a complete recovery. The surgery was performed by Dr Jason Sprunger at Community Hospital North in Indianapolis, and the team added that no further treatment is needed.
LeVert was acquired in the four-team deal that sent James Harden to Brooklyn and Victor Oladipo to Houston. Before the trade, LeVert had played in every game this season with the Nets and said he did not experience symptoms.
“I’ve always known Caris from afar, I’ve never known him as a person,” said Pacers center Myles Turner to ESPN. “I’ve always heard great things about him, obviously as a basketball player and an individual, so I think that’s what we have in this culture. He’s gonna fit so perfectly whenever that is, but right now we’re not really worried about basketball with him. We want him to continue to fight through this. I think it was a real win for the organisation.”
While LeVert will not require further treatment, his return and debut with Indiana is still up in the air. The Pacers announced that he is still out indefinitely with updates to come as necessary.
NBA players only get complete physicals at the beginning of a season. Without the trade physical, the mass might not have been found until next fall.
