Kawhi Leonard faced a lot of criticism following the Clippers’ 121-126 defeat last night to the Warriors. The 34-year-old forward finished with just 21 points, seven rebounds, and three assists on a night where his team needed him the most to keep their season alive. He shot 8-17 from the floor (47.1 FG%) and 1-6 from beyond the arc (16.7 3P%).
Following the loss, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith appeared on First Take with NBA legend Kenny Smith and spoke his mind on Kawhi Leonard’s situation with the Clippers.
“Listen, in the end, he’s supposed to be the face of the franchise. And here’s what it comes down to. The last five years, the Clippers have missed the playoffs, got bounced in the first round the next three years, and now they’ve missed the playoffs again. These are the last five seasons.”
“So, as far as I’m concerned, if you’re talking about how to view his season individually in terms of his numbers, averaging nearly 28 and six on the season, of course, those numbers are very, very impressive. But in the same breath, the investment that has been made in him over the years has not reached fruition.”
“His ability to carry a team obviously is something that isn’t true because he’s gone home in the first round, or they’ve missed the playoffs the last five damn years. That’s what it really, really comes down to.”
“And it’s solidified the fact that even though he can play, he is not the person that you would want as the leader of your franchise. It’s just that simple. He can play. His individual skills are what they are.”
“But in terms of galvanizing the troops, in terms of carrying a franchise, um, and all the responsibilities that come with it, that’s not him. That’s not him. Period,” said Smith.
Kawhi Leonard’s scoring drought in the fourth quarter allowed the Warriors to cut down a 13-point Clippers lead to a five-point win for the Golden State. In the final three minutes, Draymond Green put the clamps on Leonard, showcasing his Hall of Fame level of defense. This performance seemingly became the final nail in the coffin for Smith’s faith in Leonard as a potential franchise player.
Smith also blamed Leonard for blackmailing the Clippers into trading a future MVP away in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and pairing him up with Jalen Williams, another All-NBA caliber player.
“Listen. Kawhi Leonard is a superstar-caliber talent. We all know this. We all know when a brother is healthy, he’s on that superstar list. It’s just that kind of impact that he has. But Kenny the Jet, I’m going to remind you of this nugget of information.”
“Kawhi Leonard wants to come to Los Angeles. The Clippers want him desperately. He sits up there and blackmails them and tells them, ‘Yo, you don’t do what I want you to do. I’m going to go to the Lakers. I want Paul George’ So, they could get him as a free agent, but that wasn’t enough for him,” said Stephen A. Smith while reminding Kenny Smith about how Leonard essentially held the Clippers hostage to his demands when he was a free agent in 2019.
“All right. So instead of just being that they gave up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five unprotected first-round picks, and two pick swaps. One of those picks was Jalen Williams in 2022. Plus, they lost last night, and OKC got their first-round pick. So this brother is responsible for OKC’s starting back court of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, who dropped a 40 piece in the finals, okay.”
“And what the Clippers have to show for it, especially the last five years, is two playoff exits, they didn’t make it, and 3 trips home in the first round. Over the last five years, they haven’t made it out of the first round; they made the playoffs twice, and they’ve been bounced in the first round.”
“Somebody came to you, and they said to you this brother, who blackmailed you into getting Paul George to come here knowing that we want to build a new arena, knowing they couldn’t let him go to the Lakers and they blackmailed you into getting the boy Paul George to come join the team and we gave up all of them assets and now years later this is what we have to show for it.”
“This man only won three playoff series; he’s got just as many contract extensions from the Clippers as he has playoff series wins. Haven’t been to any conference finals, haven’t done anything. But put up some numbers when healthy, missed 40% of his regular season games, missed 30% of his playoff games, and that brotha came to you and asked for a contract extension. What would you do?”
Kenny Smith agreed with Smith’s assessment and suggested that the Clippers should keep their future goals in mind now while deciding what to do about Leonard instead of dwelling on the past.
Leonard is now entering the final season of his contract with the Clippers and will most likely get traded if they don’t extend his contract. Going by what Smith said, the Clippers should offer Leonard a significant pay cut or potentially trade him since they are looking to go younger and initiate a rebuild.
When asked about his future, Leonard claimed he hadn’t thought about it yet and wants to cry about the loss last night a bit before he comes to a decision. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, there is a reasonable anticipation across the league that Leonard will not stay with the Clippers.
Initially, when that report came out, I said the postseason would decide his future potential. But this performance raises red flags towards the Clippers forward’s ability to stay as the franchise player.
And hence, the Clippers should look to either get rid of Leonard in a trade or convince him to take a significant pay cut so they can improve the roster around him.
