The Los Angeles Clippers entered Thursday's trade deadline with a 17-6 record in their last 23 games, far better than most thought after they started the season 6-21. Fans didn't really think James Harden would ask out before the deadline, given how the team turned things around. They definitely didn't think that Ivica Zubac would be traded on Thursday. It's just Kawhi Leonard now, and he has to be looking around, wondering what's going on.
Los Angeles currently sits ninth in the West, four games back from No. 8 Golden State, after losing its past two games. The Clippers looked like a team that could come out of the play-in tournament, returning to the playoffs for the fourth straight year with aspirations of making it to the second round, at least. However, that has since changed with the departures of Harden and Zubac.
Harden wanted out, and he's happy with his new home in Cleveland. The Clippers did get Darius Garland for him, but he's been limited this season, missing the past couple of weeks with a lingering toe injury. He should return soon, and while that's good news, everything shifted yet again with the Zubac trade.
Los Angeles didn't want to trade its center, but understandably couldn't refuse the package of Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks, and one second-round pick for Zubac and Kobe Brown.
It's clear, though, that the Clippers have shifted their priorities from trying to win a title with Kawhi at the forefront to building around Garland.
Kawhi's hopes of winning a title this season just vanished
It would've been hard enough for the Clippers to make it through the West, especially having to climb out of the play-in first. There was some hope, though, but now, there's nothing.
What does that mean for Kawhi? He's averaging a career-high 27.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 49.7% from the field and 39% from three. It feels like his talent is being wasted now.
Kawhi, who is 34, doesn't have a lot of time left to win another championship. He returned home to LA to do so. Once upon a time, it seemed like the Clippers could, but they struggled to get out of their own way.
The next domino to fall should be a Kawhi trade, and that'll have to wait until the summer, when he'll have one full season left on his current deal. If he can stay healthy, there should be a few teams in the running for him (as long as he isn't suspended as part of the NBA's ongoing cap circumvention scandal investigation), giving him a chance to win another title elsewhere.
It wasn't supposed to be like this, though.