The Minnesota Timberwolves announced on Monday that starting small forward Robert Covington underwent surgery on his right knee.

Covington had arthroscopic surgery to remove some loose bodies in his right knee and to address the continued swelling.

Robert Covington has been out since Jan. 2 with the knee injury. He didn't play a single game under new Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders, who replaced Tom Thibodeau on Jan. 6.

Minnesota acquired Covington from the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 12 in the Jimmy Butler trade. The swingman played in 22 games with the Timberwolves and averaged 14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from beyond the arc and 77.3 percent from the free-throw line.

The Wolves are going to miss the playoffs this season. The franchise shut down Covington a few weeks ago, but it's still unknown why he didn't have the surgery earlier.

Covington is the Timberwolves' best perimeter defender. He signed a four-year, $62 million contract extension with the Sixers in 2017.

Minnesota has six games left in the regular-season. From the Butler saga, to Thibodeau getting fired, it's been a tumultuous campaign for the Timberwolves.

Hopefully, Covington is 100 percent for training camp and the team can be a better group in 2019-20.