Sixers wing Danny Green diagnosed with torn ACL and LCL in left knee

Sixers starting small forward Danny Green has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee.

The news makes an already heartbreaking end to the 2022 season so much worse. Green was angling for a potential offensive rebound just minutes into the first quarter of Game 6 vs. the Miami Heat as Joel Embiid fell to the floor after converting on a driving layup. Embiid, who took a number of tumbles throughout the night, accidentally landed on his teammate’s left leg which appeared to twist the wrong way.

The first reports were that the team feared a significant injury, and Green, who had to be carried off, wasn’t optimistic himself while awaiting MRI results the next day:

Traditionally, the recovery time for an ACL injury is about 6-9 months. But as some players have experienced, it can derail an entire season; because even when a player can return, he or she may not be at 100 percent and there are sometimes setbacks. But with two ligaments incurring damage that may complicate things even further.

Green, 35, has been a leader and warrior for this Philadelphia team, one of their few genuine snipers who can hold his own defensively. Daryl Morey traded a first-round pick along with big man Al Horford for Green, then with Oklahoma, prior to the 2020-2021 season. Green Ranger has been a part of some of the best lineups in the NBA ever since. Actually, that could be said long before he arrived in Philly.

The loss hurt the Sixers’ chances in the final game with Miami, and now it figures to put a major dent into their rotation next season too.

Green signed a non-guaranteed $20M contract last offseason. So now Philadelphia will potentially have a difficult decision to make regarding the veteran’s future. Good luck replacing that guy without much cap space.

Barf.