LA Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Rumors Bode Well For Chemistry

It’s starting to sound like the LA Clippers + Kawhi Leonard marriage is going to last a while longer. Fans of the team will, of course, not be comfortable until the ink is on the contract, but we can start to be more optimistic.

When Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined the LA Clippers, we were worried that there was a “two year window,” after which the stars could bolt if a championship hadn’t been won. Half of that concern is now gone with Paul George’s extension, and the rumors say that we shouldn’t be too concerned about the Klaw either.

Kawhi Leonard is likely to re-sign with the LA Clippers, and that speaks volumes about the team’s chemistry.

In his latest piece for The Athletic, Sam Amick mentions the Kawhi Leonard free agency scuttlebutt, which can basically be summed up with “he’s most likely staying.” To quote Sam:

"“Yet barring a dramatic turn of events in these coming months, it’s looking like this Leonard free agency will be decidedly less dramatic. While this league has certainly taught us to expect the unexpected, the truth is that Leonard is still widely, well, expected to re-sign with the Clippers. As it stands, that’s the word from Clippers sources and rival executives alike.”"

Both the LA Clippers and other teams think that Kawhi Leonard is staying. The first thing I thought when I read that was, “I guess the chemistry issues must be better now.”

Remember last year, when we heard about all the personality conflict inside the LA Clippers locker room? I’m loathe to believe all of those rumors, but it wasn’t all false either. No matter who was the instigator, something wasn’t right behind the scenes last year.

My impression is, if the locker room was still as toxic – or even similarly so – as it was last year, Kawhi Leonard re-signing with the LA Clippers wouldn’t be as sure a thing as it seems to be. This corroborates what we’ve seen all season; the Clippers have played noticeably better together all year.

Some of that comes from bringing in vets like Serge Ibaka, and some of it is probably addition by subtraction, letting the worst offenders walk between last season and now. No matter the cause, the effects are obvious.

Kawhi Leonard is looking like he’ll most likely be a member of the LA Clippers for years to come, and a fanbase that watched the team deal with chemistry issues all last year has to be breathing a sigh of relief.