Kawhi Leonard will officially miss the start of the regular season for the Los Angeles Clippers. There’s no timeline for Leonard’s return either due to the uncertain status of his knee injury which has been bothering him since March 2024. After the news of him missing the start to the 2024-25 season, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins tore into the star forward on ‘NBA Today’ and suggested that he retire.
“Every single season it’s a problem when it comes down to Kawhi Leonard’s health. He needs to sit down at the round table with not only the Clippers organization but his family as well… I really think Kawhi Leonard should consider retiring, At this point in time, that conversation has to be had. And I think Kawhi Leonard has to be honest with himself.”
Perkins isn’t the first ESPN NBA analyst to have such a harsh take on Leonard’s injury struggles, with Stephen A. Smith proclaiming the same during the 2023 Playoffs.
“I’m not questioning his heart, I’m not questioning his courage, I’m not questioning any of that. The man is a two-time champion. He’s a two-time [Finals] MVP…But he is the absolute worst superstar you could possibly have on your team. He’s barely ever there, and on top of it all, he does nothing to market or promote your franchise. Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers should force Kawhi Leonard to retire.”
A healthy Leonard is still one of the best players in the NBA, as he proved for a huge chunk of last season. Kawhi averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while playing 68 games, being named to the All-NBA Second Team for his strong performances.
Unfortunately, he was hurt after March and could barely play, missing the first round of the Playoffs bar two games where he played and the Clippers lost because Leonard could barely move.
The Clippers forward was removed from Team USA over the summer after their concerns over Kawhi’s knee, much to the Clippers’ chagrin. Now, the Clippers are ruling Leonard out themselves because his knee issue has not been figured out.
Kawhi hasn’t played a minute of preseason basketball and is reportedly yet to practice with the franchise over the summer. Either his knee is far worse than the world knows or the Clippers are going overboard trying to protect Leonard from the strains of the regular season, especially early in the year.
The Clippers Could End Up Making The Thunder Stronger
If Leonard isn’t playing much of this season, the Clippers are going to struggle to be a Playoff team. If they’re among the bottom teams in the West, they’re going to be giving the OKC Thunder a perfect gift to further strengthen their young core.
As part of the Paul George trade in 2019, the Clippers gave up their 2025 first-round pick to the Thunder. The unprotected pick is going to convey next summer, and if the Clippers fail to make the Playoffs under the leadership of a 35-year-old James Harden, they’ll hand a lottery pick to the Thunder.
The Clippers have no intention to tank and a defensive roster, so Tyronn Lue will hope they remain in the mix for the Play-In Tournament and sneak into the Playoffs. But given the strength of the 2025 draft class, handing over a top pick will be a brutal blow to the organization which is devoid of talented youngsters or future assets.
If the Clippers’ worst-case scenario comes true, there’s a slim chance that their pick ends up leading to the Thunder getting one of Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or Ace Bailey, something that might set OKC up to dominate the league for the next 15 years.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
