New Pacers guard Caris LeVert left positive despite a small mass on his left leg

The Indiana Pacers recently traded a franchise change, changing out two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo for young guard Caris LeVert and a little extra compensation. The Pacers made this trade with the focus on the future, they wanted to secure long-term funding for Oladipo since his contract expires at the end of this season. An immediate benefit was an added benefit.

While completing the processes necessary to implement the agreement, the Pacers made a corporate attack on LeVert. During the medical examination, the guard underwent an MRI that revealed a small mass on his left kidney. As a result, it will be infinite and will be further tested.

The Pacers released LeVert’s health update on Saturday, just hours after the trade officially ended. “On behalf of my family and myself, we would like to thank the Indiana Pacers for their support and guidance,” LeVert said in a statement. “We are grateful for how deep they went through the corporate process and I look forward to joining the team and being part of this great group as soon as possible. ”

LeVert has a high Indiana bronze as a man and as a player, so they went through with the trade despite a medical issue. They could have backed out, but they didn’t. Pacers Basketball Operations President Kevin Pritchard still believes it is possible that the new guard could get him back this season, and even if he does not, Pritchard is happy to have him for the upcoming initiatives.

“I am very confident that we will be in court. He may not be able to help us today, but we believe he can help us soon, ”Pritchard told the media on Saturday night. Forward Dan Dakich exhibition two days later, Pritchard was asked to provide a more detailed timeline. “We will know more in the next seven days. [We] I won’t know until you get in and look at it, ”he said. “I wonder [in] 6-8 weeks he picks up basketball. Maybe a little earlier, maybe a little later. But I think that’s pretty safe … and then it turns out that ‘how fast can he prepare to play a game of basketball? ‘”

LeVert, for his part, isn’t entirely sure when he will return to game action. In his inaugural press conference Tuesday, he mentioned that he needs more medical information before he can estimate how far he will look from the sidelines. It has not yet been officially diagnosed, and it is uncertain whether the mass on the kidney is cancerous. “As far as the timeline and everything like that, we will definitely confirm that sometime in the future,” LeVert said. “But right now, we don’t have those answers.”

When he gets on the court for the blue and gold, LeVert thinks he can be better than he was before. His time away from the sport will allow him to reflect. “I wonder [the injury] I take some time off to evaluate the game, evaluate my body, [and] to see what I need to do to get into the system, ”he said. Any improvements to his game will make Pacers ’bet on Michigan’s product look even softer.

LeVert projects to slip into the starting line when he returns. He and Calum Brogdon could be two deadly backs for years to come for the Pacers, especially on offense. They are both capable of creating points without effort and defense. Together, they produce a strong one-two punch of blue and gold. “I love the boys on this team,” LeVert said of the Pacers. “[They are] very tall character and very intelligent people who can play multi-roles … skilled boys. ”

But playing basketball is a hindsight for LeVert. Healthy growth comes first. “I really want to play as soon as possible. I’m a competitor, I like playing the game, ”he said. “For me, I think it’s important now to make sure I’m healthy. ”

With what LeVert has been through in the last few days, it makes all the sense in the world that the 26 – year – old thinks this way. He was taking a pre-match nap just over a week ago in preparation for Brooklyn’s game against the Knicks when he was awakened by the news that he had been traded. He then had to travel from the East Coast to Indianapolis, and at the same time prepare to make a permanent move. Upon arrival, he went through the normal physical process that occurs when a player trades and discovers that he has a kidney mass. One of those things – being a trade-off, a move, or a frightening medical judgment – would be a NBA player’s responsibility. LeVert dealt with all that in one week.

And yet, it has remained positive throughout, which is remarkable. But it’s just the way it’s climbed. “I’ve been through a lot. Not just with basketball, but with life in general, ”said LeVert. “It simply came to our notice then, but it could have been worse. I look at it that way. I try to look at the positives out of every situation.

“We will not negatively change the situation at all,” he said later.

That hope is something LeVert’s new coach Nate Bjorkgren admits about Indiana’s new player. Bjorkgren met LeVert in a hotel room on his return to Indianapolis from the recent Pacers road trip, and again the next day at work. He explained in detail to the media just how sublime he thought these interactions were.

“[LeVert’s] spirits are good, ”said Bjorkgren. “Very, very good man. Just his character. You can see it in his eyes, so positive. The way he behaves. The boys want it here, ”he said. Clearly, LeVert’s forward-looking vision leaves a glimpse of everyone he interacts with.

On the court, Bjorkgren likes that the latest Pacer can play multiple roles and operate at the pace the Pacers want to play at. But, again, the basketball side of things doesn’t really matter right now. Not to Caris, and not to the Pacers. LeVert knows that his health is the most important thing in his life, and everything else, including basketball, comes second. “For me, the most important thing is to keep my body healthy and make sure I live long,” he said.

In the meantime, as LeVert learns more about his health condition, the Pacers will continue to get more comfortable with his judgment and strategy of what course of action is best. “We talked to our doctors 50 times, we were very comfortable with it [the injury], ”Pritchard told Dakich. “We have been comforted by the medical experience, we are becoming more comfortable every day. He may need to have surgery and that’s fine. ”

The Pacers interviewed LeVert before the draft in 2016. At the time, they liked him as an observer – if they hadn’t traded their choice in that version, they would have chosen LeVert. Now, as the poem would have it, the team and the player are finally together, albeit in very different situations.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Caris LeVert said of Indiana. In his new home, LeVert has remained positive when few others would have been able to. Indiana hopes his outlook on life translates into a fruitful relationship between LeVert and the Pacers, both on and off the basketball court.