INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Clippers introduced a new look at media day Monday, but their plans for the season already come with a significant delay. Brandon Ingram, the two-time All-Star acquired in the trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto, will miss the start of the 2026-27 season while recovering from surgery on his right heel and a partially torn Achilles tendon.

Interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden said doctors discovered and repaired the Achilles injury during Ingram’s heel surgery in May. The Clippers have not established a timetable for his return, leaving the team to begin preparations without a player expected to become one of its primary offensive options.

“It wasn’t until we got our hands on [Ingram] here that we started to see where he was at with his progression,” Redden said. “He won’t be ready for the start of the season, and we’ll reevaluate when we get there.”

  

The news complicated the start of a transition for the Clippers, who acquired Ingram and guard Gradey Dick from the Raptors earlier this month in exchange for Leonard. Ingram, 29, averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season, production the Clippers will have to replace until he is cleared to play.

Ingram described his rehabilitation as a “week-by-week thing” and indicated his involvement in training camp would be limited. While Redden said recovery from a partial Achilles tear typically takes “about six months less” than recovery from a complete tear, he did not offer a target date for Ingram’s debut.

“I’m doing well in my recovery,” Ingram said. “I’m coming along. I’ve been in the facility for a little more than a month now. Getting on the court a little bit and getting stronger.”

  

Ingram said the discomfort persisted during his season with Toronto before the extent of the problem became clear. He missed the final two games of the Raptors’ first-round playoff loss to Cleveland before undergoing surgery.

“I had been dealing with some pain throughout the year with the Raptors and especially coming down in crunch time,” Ingram said. “I didn’t quite know what it was. Near the end of the season, we figured out what it was. We thought surgery was the best thing to do.”

Ingram was not the only player whose health became a topic Monday. Redden said Bradley Beal is dealing with inflammation in his right knee following surgery on his left hip and will not be available for the start of training camp.

  

The Clippers open camp Tuesday in Hawaii with additional absences. Jordan Miller underwent surgery after tearing his left rotator cuff during a summer pickup game and will be reevaluated in five months. Center Yanic Konan Niederhauser also will miss the season opener as he recovers from a foot ligament tear that ended his previous season in March.

Those injuries will limit the Clippers’ ability to work with their full roster as they establish roles and develop chemistry. Ingram’s absence, in particular, postpones the opportunity to build a partnership that guard Darius Garland expects to become central to the offense.

“Whenever [Ingram] comes back, when he gets out there, I think our pick-and-roll will be the No. 1 thing we go to,” Garland said. “I think that can be really nasty.”

Garland’s enthusiasm offered a glimpse of what the Clippers hope their reshaped team can become once Ingram is healthy. For now, the team will have to begin the season before it can put that vision on the floor.

“He’s super crafty,” Garland said. “I’m super excited to play with him for sure.”