Brandon Ingram to Miss Start of Clippers Season After Achilles Surgery

Brandon Ingram’s first season with the LA Clippers will begin on the sidelines. At media day on 28 September, the Clippers revealed that the two-time All-Star had undergone surgery for a right heel injury and a partially torn Achilles tendon, and that he will not be ready for the start of the 2026-27 season.

Ingram arrived in Los Angeles earlier this month as the centrepiece of the return for Kawhi Leonard, who was traded to the Toronto Raptors. His absence is a blow for a franchise that expected him to be one of its primary scorers from the first day of the season.

What the Clippers revealed

Interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden explained the situation. According to NBA.com, Ingram suffered the heel injury during Toronto’s first-round playoff series against Cleveland and missed the final two games. The Achilles damage, which had not previously been disclosed, was discovered and addressed during heel surgery in May.

“He won’t be ready for the start of the season, and we’ll reevaluate when we get there,” Redden said. He also indicated that the full picture only became clear once the Clippers’ medical staff examined Ingram. “It wasn’t until we got our hands on him here that we started to see where he was at,” he said, according to NBA.com.

• Injury: right heel injury and a partially torn Achilles tendon.
• Surgery: performed in May, when the Achilles damage was discovered.
• Timeline: no return date; he will be re-evaluated around the start of the season.
• Recovery context: Redden said partial tears typically heal about six months faster than complete ruptures.
• Last season: 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game with Toronto.

NBC Sports reported Redden’s point that recovery from a partial tear is “about six months shorter” than from a more complete Achilles rupture. That is encouraging relative to the worst-case scenario, but it still leaves plenty of uncertainty about when Ingram will be back to full strength.

The trade context

The injury inevitably raises questions about the Leonard deal. According to NBA.com’s trade tracker, the trade was completed on 14 September, with the Clippers receiving Ingram, Gradey Dick, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033 and first-round pick swaps in 2027. Toronto received Leonard.

Ingram was not the only asset in that package, and the draft capital gives the Clippers long-term flexibility regardless of his health. But he was the player most likely to make an immediate impact, and his absence means the benefits of the trade will take longer to appear on the court.

The fact that the Achilles issue emerged after the trade will draw attention. Redden’s comments suggest the Clippers only gained a full understanding of the injury once Ingram was in their building. It is a reminder of how difficult it can be to evaluate injured players during an offseason trade process.

A lengthening injury list

Ingram is far from the only concern. NBA.com and NBC Sports both reported a series of other problems for the Clippers at the start of camp:

• Bradley Beal: recovering from hip surgery but dealing with right knee inflammation, and unavailable for the start of training camp.
• Jordan Miller: a torn left rotator cuff requiring surgery, with NBC Sports expecting him out until around the All-Star break.
• Yanic Konan Niederhauser: progressing from a foot injury but not expected to be available for the season opener.
• Darius Garland: reported to be fully healthy after previous injury limitations.

Garland’s health is the most positive news of the day. NBC Sports noted that he and Ingram were expected to serve as the team’s floor-raisers. With Ingram out, more responsibility will fall on Garland to organise the offence and create scoring chances for others.

How the Clippers can cope

In the short term, the Clippers will need to find scoring elsewhere. Ingram is a gifted shot creator, comfortable in the mid-range and capable of generating points late in the shot clock. Replacing that production is not simple, and it is likely to come from several players rather than one.

Gradey Dick, who arrived in the same trade, could be one beneficiary. A young shooter with room to grow, he may receive more minutes and a larger role early in the season. That could accelerate his development, which would be a useful by-product of an unwelcome situation.

The coaching staff’s challenge will be to keep the team competitive through the opening weeks while protecting players returning from injury. Every win gained during that period could matter later in a crowded Western Conference.

What to watch

The Clippers’ preseason includes a notable fixture: they face the Raptors in Vancouver on 10 October as part of the NBA Canada Games, according to the league’s key dates. It would have been Ingram’s first meeting with his former club in a Clippers jersey; instead it becomes an early opportunity for others to stake a claim.

For Malaysian fans following the Leonard trade, the Ingram news adds another layer to a story that has already dominated the NBA offseason. Leonard is now back in Toronto, and the Clippers’ return will take longer to judge than anyone expected.

Achilles injuries demand patience. Rushing a player back can risk a more serious setback, and the Clippers are likely to be conservative. When Ingram does return, his form will determine whether the Leonard trade looks like a sensible reset or a missed opportunity.

The medical detail also matters for how Ingram plays when he returns. Heel and Achilles problems can affect a player’s explosiveness and change of direction, both important for a scorer who relies on footwork to create space. The Clippers will be watching not only for his return date but for how comfortable he looks once he is back in games.

For now, the priority is recovery. Ingram is 29, still in the prime of his career, and has already shown he can perform at an All-Star level. The Clippers will hope that, once he is back, he can deliver the kind of production that made him the headline name in one of the summer’s biggest trades.

There is also a wider lesson for the league. Late offseason trades leave little time for integration, and when the key incoming player is injured, the new team has to build its early-season plans around absence rather than addition. The Clippers’ start to the campaign will show how well they have prepared for that scenario.