On Wednesday night, the Nets will start a two-game set in Cleveland against the Cavaliers team that acquired Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince on the blockbuster deal that brought James Harden to Brooklyn last week.
They may or may not see Caris LeVert, who was sent to Indiana in that deal, when they play the Pacers in three weeks…but thanks to the trade, LeVert’s life may have been saved.
The physicals involved in the deal revealed that LeVert has a small mass on his left kidney. The Pacers and LeVert are still waiting on test results to determine whether the mass is malignant or not, but in his first media session as a Pacer on Tuesday, the guard revealed that he might never have caught the issue if not for the physical.
"I didn't have any symptoms. I was playing in games. I hadn't missed any games this season yet. I was feeling 100 percent healthy," LeVert said. "So, in a way, this trade definitely showed and revealed what was going on in my body; so I'm definitely looking at it from that side and definitely humbled to know that this trade could've possibly saved me in the long run."
The 26-year-old is out indefinitely as the team awaits test results and further treatment plans, but that is secondary to the situation.
"To me, the most important thing is to get my body healthy and make sure I live a long life," LeVert said. "Before basketball, I think that's the most important thing; so, for me, I'm not really looking at that side of things. Obviously, I want to play as soon as possible, but making sure I'm good health-wise is most important.”
There is no timeline for his return, and that won’t be determined until full results and diagnoses are known, but LeVert and the Pacers are confident he will be able to return.
This organization's gonna step up, help him get through this, get him back on the court," Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said. "I'm super confident that we're gonna have him on the court."
Added LeVert: "I have a lot of faith in God. I know that everything is not perfect, but I feel like, in life, it's just how you react to certain things. It's not what happens to you."
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks echoed those statements in an appearance on WFAN's Carton & Roberts Show on Wednesday.
"It's very possible he wouldn't have found that out until the fall...thank God he had the MRI on his back, because he’s had no issues whatsoever. It was very fortuitous, and Indiana has a great medical staff there. Our thoughts and prayers are with Caris."
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