The LA Clippers are entering this season in a usually familiar state, an insane roster on paper, but untrustworthy as a true contender. Their roster looks quite impressive, as usual, headlined by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Even new additions like Bradley Beal and John Collins look pretty enticing. But beneath the surface, there’s a problem the Clippers cannot seem to shake, and that is Leonard, their polarizing superstar.
Recent reports surrounding his off-court dealings, which include allegations of under-the-table payments and questionable business ties, only add to the murkiness of his Clippers tenure. If chasing rings were his only goal, he would have joined the Los Angeles Lakers years ago and paired with LeBron James.
Instead, he respectably came to the Clippers on his own terms and wanted to be the King himself. I do not fault him for wanting to maximize his earnings, especially given his injury history, while also competing at the highest level against his rivals. But the mission of winning a ring is failing, and under Leonard's tenure, the Clippers have consistently saved their worst basketball for the end of the season.
The Kawhi Leonard cycle has been repeated over and over again
When Kawhi Leonard plays, he is still a basketball savant. He can dominate playoff games and remind everyone why he was once Finals MVP…twice. His midrange is still automatic, is a pest on defense when he wants to be, gets to his spots effortlessly, dominating games at times, a killer in the clutch, but the cycle is all too familiar.
He will miss half the regular season, shine briefly in the playoffs, then disappear again with another injury. That’s not the foundation of a championship culture. The worst is hyping up your fanbase with hope and then shattering their dreams of the possibility of winning their elusive first championship.
Leonard has been riddled with injuries his entire career, but his Clippers tenure has been on another level. It has been constantly interrupted by injuries especially on his right knee. He missed the 2021-22 season recovering from a partially torn ACL suffered in the 2021 playoffs. He tore his meniscus in the 2023 playoffs, and most recently, he has had an ongoing inflammation in that same knee, which sidelined him for the start of the 2024-25 season.
The most frustrating part about his injuries is the fact that his flare-ups cause him to miss random playoff games throughout the year, where the game before he dominated and stepped off the court looking fine. This pattern of inconsistent availability has disrupted the Clippers' team in crucial situations to sustain any rhythm within the roster play and momentum on the court.
Father Time does not wait for anyone. Imagine, for a moment, if one of Leonard's peers: Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, or even prime Jimmy Butler were dropped into this exact Clippers roster. Would we be talking about a cursed franchise, or a legitimate Finals threat?
The supporting cast Ballmer has assembled is deep and talented. What they lack is the availability and perhaps the leadership of a true present superstar.
Is now the time to make a move on Kawhi Leonard?
If I were Steve Ballmer, I would get out of the Kawhi Leonard business as soon as possible. It is finally time. The man just invested billions into the majestic Intuit Dome, and the Clippers need to rebuild so that their fans deserve to see their team really compete within the next few years. Selling high on Leonard now, even if it means getting 75 cents on the dollar, might be the only way for the Clippers to reset expectations and reclaim some control over their future.
That Shai for-Paul George trade, once viewed as the obvious move towards contention, is aging like sour milk. The Oklahoma City Thunder walked away with an MVP superstar, a championship, and the brighter future.
The real dilemma is timing. The Clippers do not control their own first-round picks until 2030, which means tanking is not an option. Ballmer does not want the rebuild, and I do not blame him; he’s 69 years old, wants the results right now, and is fighting for market share in a city that bleeds purple and gold. The short-term path looking forward seems to be running it back with Leonard and Harden, hoping for health, and making marginal upgrades around the edges.
But long term? The Clippers need to acknowledge reality. Leonard is a Hall of Fame talent, but he is not the leader this team needs. Eventually, Ballmer and the front office must accept that the next Clippers superstar needs to be acquired.
They will need to do what they’ve always done: lure talent through trades or free agency. Until then, the Clippers are stuck in basketball purgatory, waiting for the Leonard cycle to play out one more time.