The NBA found no foul play in the Clippers' decision to rest Kawhi Leonard for Wednesday night's matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, according to a report from The Athletic, LA is privately acknowledging the fact that Leonard is not fully healthy.

The Clippers' decision to rest Leonard rubbed some fans and media members the wrong way, but it shouldn't have come as a big surprise. After all, he missed most of his final season with the San Antonio Spurs due to tendinopathy. The former San Diego State standout then went on to join the Toronto Raptors for the following season, leading the team to its first championship in franchise history. For the record, though, he only played in 60 regular season games with Toronto, as they too were concerned about load management.

Via Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic:

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First things first. Sources tell The Athletic that there is a paper trail of sorts here that led to the NBA approving this particular choice. After consulting with the Clippers’ medical staff, and being told why it was important for Leonard’s health that he be granted this right to rest days in advance, league officials decided that it was not a breach of protocol.

Sources with knowledge of the Clippers’ thinking, meanwhile, indicate that Leonard is not a fully healthy player and his health history, coupled with all the science and data that they’ve compiled on that front, demands this kind of approach.

Publicly, though, that messaging conflicts with multiple comments from Leonard and head coach Doc Rivers, who have each stated that Leonard is healthy and “never felt better.”

Leonard has played well through the early stages of this season, averaging 29.3 points on 47.4 percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. However, the Clippers will likely monitor his usage rate going forward, especially in back-to-back sets.

Barring any unforeseen setbacks, Leonard should be good to go for Thursday night's home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Tip-off inside the STAPLES Center is set for 10:30 p.m. ET, with TNT having live broadcast coverage.