Toronto knew exactly what the Kawhi Leonard experience would be like when it traded for him this summer: He is going to miss time with injury concerns and load management, and the team will have to win games without him.

That starts this week. Leonard is out with swelling in his left knee and will be re-evaluated in one week, the team announced Tuesday. Toronto said in its release that Leonard “will undergo a treatment and rehabilitation program to address swelling in his left knee. Medical imaging revealed no acute injury.” (Leonard hasn’t missed time with a left knee issue since before the pandemic, it’s usually the right knee that needs management).

Don’t be surprised if he misses a couple of weeks (ESPN’s Shams Charania called it a “period of weeks”). The Raptors will have Leonard in bubble wrap all season. At a minimum, expect Leonard to be out when Toronto hosts Orlando for two games this week, then travels to Los Angeles for a back-to-back Sunday and Monday against the Lakers and Clippers. That means Leonard will miss his only game at Intuit Dome this season.

After that, the Raptors continue on the road against the Nuggets and Bucks, and Leonard may well miss those games, too.

Leonard being out came somewhat out of left field: He played 28 minutes in a win at Washington last Friday, traveled to Minnesota with the team and was going through his normal pre-game routine Sunday when he became a late scratch due to his left knee.

Leonard averaged 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the two games he has played this season, both wins for the Raptors. While he shot just 32.4% in those two games, he looked like his All-NBA self from a season ago in terms of process and getting to his spots, the shots just weren’t falling. With Leonard and Scottie Barnes leading the way, the Raptors have a fierce defense that can win them a lot of games — and a lot of playoff games.

But that only works if Leonard is healthy, and that’s the priority now.