The Clippers expected Brandon Ingram to be a central part of their offense. Instead, they are heading toward the start of the 2026-27 season waiting on a repair job that is bigger than a roster tweak and more troubling than a standard setback.
Trent Redden, the Clippers interim president of basketball operations, told reporters Monday that the team found a partially torn Achilles in Ingram's foot following heel surgery. That means Ingram will not be ready for the start of the season, and the Clippers plan to reevaluate him as the 2026-27 campaign begins.
That matters because Ingram was supposed to give the Clippers another reliable scoring option alongside Darius Garland. Last season with the Raptors, he made his first career All-Star Game and averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from deep. Those are the numbers of a player who can shape an offense, not just fill a role.
Now the Clippers have to open without him. On Oct. 21, they host the Sacramento Kings, and Keaton Wagler will be the team's go-to option on the wing until Ingram returns. That is a meaningful shift in responsibility for a team that had planned to lean on Ingram's scoring and spacing almost immediately.
A new problem in a roster already under pressure
The injury also lands in a broader context that the article ties to punishment from the NBA over the Leonard situation. The Clippers already traded Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors this offseason, with Ingram coming back in the return, and now one of the key pieces of that deal is unavailable when the schedule is about to begin.
That does not erase what Ingram can be when healthy. His blend of shot creation, size and efficiency still gives the Clippers a different level of offensive versatility. But it does force a more modest evaluation of the immediate outlook. For now, the question is less about whether Ingram can matter and more about how long the Clippers have to wait before he does.
In a season that was supposed to begin with a reshaped core, the Clippers are already being pushed into adjustment mode. The team can still hope Ingram becomes the player it expected later in the year. It just cannot count on him when the games start mattering on Oct. 21.
