The biggest losers of the cap circumvention centered around Kawhi Leonard are, without a doubt, the LA Clippers. They already won’t have five first-round picks between the years of 2029 and 2033, and on top of that, $30 million is gone. Their president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, who did wonders by negotiating the deals of Leonard and Ivica Zubac, won’t be around during the February deadline in 2027 due to a six-month suspension.
However, in second place is none other than Keaton Wagler. When you hear that, you might wonder how a rookie who was just drafted is a major loser of the hammer punishment from the NBA? Well, because the Clippers’ future is practically doomed, the weight of the franchise is sitting on Wagler’s shoulders. They desperately need him to pan out into a star.
Though Wagler was the fifth pick and is expected to flourish at the highest level, he’s just 19 years old at the end of the day, and that’s a lot to ask of him.
Keaton Wagler has to be good, or the Clippers are going to be in a ton of trouble
Keaton Wagler is one of the sole reasons why there is still optimism around the LA Clippers’ future after the NBA announced its punishment to Kawhi Leonard and the organization. He has superstar potential, and with the right development, he could easily get there, and maybe even rise to levels beyond that.
Additionally, he shouldn’t be in any rush, as long as he shows strong signs throughout the next couple of years that he will live up to the pre-draft expectations.
But if Wagler’s time as a Clipper turns out to flop, the team is going to be in more trouble than they could ever imagine.
They already won’t have a handful of first-round picks, and by that point they would be without a face of the franchise. It doesn’t get worse than this.
In his mind, Wagler is probably aware of this reality, which isn't necessarily a good thing, and it's a major turn of events not long before the regular season begins, as the heavy pressure could easily take a toll on the mental side of his game.
That said, it’s unfortunate this is the way things are for the rookie, but he will have to battle through it and show the Clippers he can save them from disaster.
Add us as a preferred source on Google