The Los Angeles Clippers had their season ended in the play-in by the Golden State Warriors. It was a game that they led for most of it before a run in the last three minutes. Kawhi Leonard got shut down by Draymond Green, and that was the end of that.
Leonard finished with 21 points on 8-17 shooting in this game. He also had five turnovers, which was the key turning point for the Clippers. LA now gives a lottery pick to the Thunder, and they will wait to see if they get a pick in the 5-9 range from the Indiana Pacers.
Following the game, Leonard was asked questions about his future in Los Angeles. He was not ready to talk about that.
Kawhi Leonard Refuses Questions About His Clippers Future
GettyLos Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard drives the ball. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
It didn’t seem that Leonard was ready to talk about his future directly after the best season of his career came to an end.
“Let me cry about this loss a little bit more. We’re going to have our discussions when that time comes.”
Leonard has one more year left on his deal worth $50.3 million. LA is clearly looking to move towards a rebuild after deciding to trade both James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline. Moving Leonard would be the next logical option.
Of course, Leonard still has to deal with the fallout of the Aspiration investigation. With the Clippers now eliminated from playoff contention, the NBA is now free to release any findings they have at any time. It’s still unclear what the timeline on that is, however.
The results of that investigation and any punishment that might be levied by the NBA will determine what the Clippers decide to do with Leonard. As he showed this season, he is still an upper-echelon player when he is able to stay healthy.
Los Angeles is up for an Offseason of Change
GettyLos Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard celebrates in a game. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Even if LA decides to keep Leonard, the Clippers are going to have an offseason of change. A lot of it is predicated on whether or not they are awarded Indiana’s first-round draft pick. Landing that pick could really accelerate the rebuild that they will be moving towards.
If Leonard is moved, there would be no shortage of suitors. Even if he is used as a one-year rental, he has shown he can be a great player. He helped carry Toronto to the title in 2019 after only spending one year with the Raptors, so he has a history of winning a championship as a one-year player.
The Clippers’ experiment with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George was a colossal failure. It resulted in just one Conference Finals appearance and no titles. This year, the Clippers had just the 18th-best defense in the league. That had been a calling card for them over the past few years.
LA now has a lot of decisions to make.
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