The LA Clippers have things to figure out in the offseason, and atop their list is figuring out what to do with their stars.
Adding Russell Westbrook to join the tandem of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George two seasons ago seemed to be a move the Los Angeles-based franchise could be proud of. Sure, he wasn't at his prime the way he had been in the past, but he was a veteran player with all of the heart and passion for basketball in the world. He would be an X-factor.
That was the same philosophy the Clippers had when adding a disgruntled James Harden in the offseason, taking him away from Daryl Morey and the drama he stirred in Philadelphia. He was supposed to make a dynamic duo a terrific trio, of sorts.
But that didn't happen.
The Clippers have built around Paul George for five seasons, and when they added Kawhi Leonard, it became about building around the duo. They've now had four seasons of that duo, two seasons of the Harden-included trio, and one season of Russell Westbrook, but since making it to the Western Conference Finals in the first year of the saga, they haven't made it past the first round.
Seemingly wasting another season of George and Leonard — both players are getting older, after all — isn't anywhere close to where the Clippers want to be now. They have plenty of weapons to be competitive and a star-studded starting lineup but just can't seem to make it over the hump. So, what has to change?
There's one scenario the Clippers should look into more than the others.
Is it time to say Kaw-bye to Kawhi Leonard?
Los Angeles was always the plan for Kawhi Leonard.
Back when he was the young budding star for the San Antonio Spurs, it seemed as if he just wanted to get out near the end of his tenure, so he left. In Toronto, he won a title and proved himself as one of the league's top talents but his time there was nothing more than a rental.
Since leaving the Raptors in 2020, he's been attempting to bring the Clippers to contention in an ever-improving Western Conference, but that simply hasn't happened. And why? His health.
Leonard has been sidelined for multiple postseason games each of the last three seasons, one of which saw both him and George sidelined. The Clippers forward did play the most games he had in any of his four years with the Clippers this season, but at the end of the day, it didn't matter. He wasn't around when they needed him the most.
Regardless, the Clippers seem to want to stick it out (though, do they have any other choice?)
“I understand the skepticism of, ‘Hey, just this is another year where you haven’t had the group,’” Clippers President Lawrence Frank said addressing Leonard's continuous health problems. “But I would guard against the cynicism because just because it’s happened doesn’t mean it’s always going to happen next year. We’re optimistic that we can put together a team that’s going to be a whole lot better.”
It's interesting to hear, especially considering that the Clippers have four All-Stars. How much better could they get?
Well, the answer is not much without trading away some of the players that were supposed to make the team invincible. Leonard is at the top of that list, but getting rid of him would be a tall order.
Leonard signed an extension with the Clippers to keep him on the team through the 2026-27 season. The deal pays him close to $50 million every season, and naturally, a team wouldn't want to take on that kind of burden for a player who can't play in the postseason.
Even if they did believe in Leonard's ability to stay healthy all the way through a season, they'd have to do some serious maneuvering in order to match contracts and send off the same amount of assets they'd be receiving monetarily. But, even so, the Clippers should consider.
Bringing in some youthful stars around the league could allow them to get over the hump, or at the very least, have a future. As it stands, Leonard, George, Harden, and Westbrook aren't getting any younger. Their respective retirements aren't necessarily “imminent,” but they're certainly going to be closely monitored as their play begins to tail off.
Whatever the decision may be, it's really beginning to appear as if Leonard isn't the long-term solution LA was hoping for, though, with a contract as big as he has, it might try to convince itself that he is. But that can only go so far.
Leonard needs to find a way to be on the court when it matters most.
Until then, he'll remain the biggest question mark and “What if?” of the entire franchise.
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