During his two seasons with the Clippers, All-Star swingman Kawhi Leonard has yet to come close to the level of playoff success he achieved during his lone season with the Raptors, writes Scott Stinson of the National Post. After Leonard was traded by the Spurs to the Raptors in 2018, he led Toronto to the only title in its history in 2019.
Leonard, 29, holds a player option on his $36MM deal for the 2021/22 season. Los Angeles is currently in an 0-2 deficit in its first-round playoff series against the Mavericks. Last season, amidst championship expectations, the Clippers fell 4-3 in a second-round matchup against the Nuggets.
There’s more out of the City of Angels:
- Lakers reserve center Marc Gasol proved a key part of L.A.’s Game 2 adjustments, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The 36-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year, who did not play in the opening game of the team’s first-round series against the Suns, replaced fellow reserve big man Montrezl Harrell in the Lakers’ rotation. Gasol helped as a floor spacer, passer, and post presence. He played nearly 27 minutes in the 109-102 victory, logging 6 points (on 2-of-4 shooting from deep), 2 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal. With free-agent-to-be Andre Drummond having displaced Gasol as the team’s starter during the regular season, head coach Frank Vogel has experimented in doling out rotational minutes between Harrell and Gasol. Playoff performance could impact all three players’ futures with the team. Gasol is on a veteran’s minimum contract through the 2021/22 season, while Harrell holds a player option on the second year of his deal with the Lakers, worth $9.7MM.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPN wonders if the long-awaited postseason “Battle of Los Angeles,” a hypothetical playoff series between the star-studded Lakers and Clippers, will ever transpire, with All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard able to enter free agency this summer. Shelburne notes that, in fact, the two Los Angeles NBA teams have never faced each other in the playoffs.
- After the Clippers‘ starting lineup was outscored by 18 points in 19 minutes across two playoff losses to the Mavericks, head coach Tyronn Lue noted that a change was quite possible, writes Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “Something needs to be done,” Lue said. The Clippers are currently starting point guard Patrick Beverley, All-Star wing Paul George, power forward Marcus Morris, and center Ivica Zubac alongside Leonard.
The battle of LA is not happening after the Clippers pathetic collapse against the Nuggets. That was the time.
It’s not like the Lakers will be a playoff team much longer themselves. They barely even made the postseason this year and LeBron isn’t getting any younger.
So what hater they lead Phoenix NOW
suns were always pretenders. if Lakers,Denver,Clippers were never injured or sitting anyone, PHX would be like a 5th seed
They will still be better than Houston for the next 5 years.
Yeah barely made playoffs because of injuries. One injury was caused by a 6 and a half foot man falling on lebrons ankle, not getting younger, but I wouldn’t classify him as injury prone yet.
Understand wanting to go home but basketball wise he just the worst of the 3 basketball options available to him between clippers lakers and raptors !
If Kawhi walks for nothing, Clippers need 5 years to recover
ESPN future rankings
Clippers at 2
I’d like to put a zero after 2
It’s 20
There is a good chance to trade Kawhi in offseason?
If yes, Warriors have better assets than Knicks, Mavs and Lakers
Winning does solve everything – I don’t think this series is over at all but it behooves Hoops Rumors if it does that’s for sure ! If Clips win Friday, series is as close as it could ever be
There has never been a battle of LA outside the tabloids. It exists on No level whatsoever out here on ground level
Winning solves “most” things.
I went to a Warriors game years ago and someone farted and it seriously smelled like some egg salad died. And then the security guards tried to blame it on a little kid…I’ve told this story before.
All that to say, the Warriors have had success but I’ll never forget that terrible gas smell. An older woman sitting near me got sick and had to leave the game.
There’s no fixing that.
I was seriously looking for burn marks on the seat when everyone cleared out this guy must have had some medical issues. The only way I can describe it is that the air smelled dirty.
I guess this is how fables get started. When KL chose the Clips, it was NOT a personal lifestyle decision. It was a pure basketball decision. He believed at the time he was choosing the best team. AND everyone – the media, Las Vegas and NBA fans overwhelming – agreed with him. Clips were the favorite (or at least co-favorite) to win it all going into his first season with them.
The narrative that he valued being home more than winning actually let’s him off the hook for the poor judgement he displayed in insisting that the Clips get PG13 at any cost in order to obtain his signature. The Clips were faced with a choice. Get both KL and PG13, or get neither, and he goes to the Lakers. Horrible trade, but it was the Clips who weren’t making a basketball decision in that trade, at least not an independent one.
The Toronto part of the narrative is maybe the funniest. Yes, the Raps had a terrific season in 2019-20, but it was a very surprising terrific season. And not as good as the Clips season (last year or this). As for KL’s view of their team at the time. It was reported in several places that he told the Raps’ FO and owner that he didn’t think the team was good enough to win again.
Hell yeah he picked clippers for lifestyle first ! If it was all about titles to the chagrin or non lakers fans teaming up with lebron and ad made the easiest path to a title by far!
Also as for raptors take Kawhi off both the clipped and raptors and that raptors team he left was much better then the pg13 without Kawhi lead clippers ! Fact is last year And esp this year clippers 3 through 15 are full of below average to scrubbish players!
Your opinion of the relative merits of the “would be” rosters of the two teams is noted, but also irrelevant in KL’s decision. Believe it or not, he was relying on his opinion, not yours, and he expressed his quite clearly.
If he chose the Clips based on the basketball merits as he saw them, and was dead wrong about them, then – guess what – he still chose the Clips based on the basketball merits.
You are kidding yourself, DXC, the fact that Leonard was from Southern California and has family there was one of the main reasons he chose to sign with the Clippers. His error in judgment was in his estimate of George, though, who has seemed to somehow get more immature in general the older he gets. To say choosing the Clippers was a “pure basketball decision” for Leonard is simply ridiculous. I don’t fault him for that decision, but try to at least be a little realistic, man.
Chief: You added “pure”. No decision of this type is made purely based on one factor. With no dog in the fight, I have no reason to kid myself.
If some guy tells you that his friend married his wife for her brains, BUT the the guy conditioned the marriage on the Bride getting plastic surgery (at a cost which put her in debt that he won’t be bound by long term), and, after the surgery and marriage, the Bride wins a beauty pageant, you wouldn’t question the guy’s statement? When later the woman doesn’t age well, you believe his mistake was marrying for brains?
Of course KL wanted to go home. He said that, but he also said that going home would mean the Lakers, UNLESS the Clips made a trade to become the favorite to win it all. He didn’t go (and wasn’t going) to a team that – with him – wouldn’t be one of the favorites.
Disagree. If anything, most thought the easiest way back to a title was returning to Toronto. The point of going to LAC was to be closer to home (San Diego), and build his own superteam with PG bc Kawhi is a horrible GM. No one hid the ball, it was obviously stupid to begin with, unless you thought PG was all NBA. Remember the shoe-deal talk?
The LA favorite was and is LBJ+AD and friends
What do you guys not get? Kawhi doesn’t like lebron. Point blank period. Doesn’t matter when you think your a better player, even if lakers were best option in free agency.
So it goes with the narrative clippers are and where a lifestyle and comfort fit for him , he seems of the mindset if I win another title great shrug ♂️ if I don’t ever win another title great shrug ♂️ ,
Kawhi isn’t obsessed like lebron , Durant and curry about who ends up with the most titles in their era and all the other stuff! Good for him I must say
So you are telling me in your heart of hearts that Kawhi left an ideal situation where he was set to repeat to now join PG and all of a sudden become complacent???
Complacent no? But he’s clearly a do my. Job and no more kinda guy and that’s fine ! But on teams where he’s won a title they have had a leader that could fire up and rise the level of his teammates! Manu and Duncan with spurs and Lowry and van fleet with raptors ! Clippers don’t have anything like that and it’s not In Kawhi’s nature ! He’s just gonna do what he does an let the chips fall how they may
I think Leonard didn’t want the spotlight or pressure of playing for the Lakers more than anything.
Most? Vegas didn’t. That usually reflects most, at least most who bet the most. And should be paying the most attention.
Agreed. In free agency you consider these factors….track record, good coach, ability to develop talent and put together a contending roster or close to it. Clips don’t check any boxes. Doc is a vet coach but he too blew 3-1 leads. Ty Lue is overrated and won with the cavs cause Bron was the player coach. Jimmy Butler got it right. He chose Miami who has a track record for player development, right pieces that fit and first class organization. I don’t think anyone will deny that the heat are a third allstar away from contention.
The Heat overachieved last season and the Lakers rolled over them. They are likely about to get swept in the first round. Butler is a good player, but he is overrated. They need more than an all-star…they need a top 5-7 or so superstar to be a legitimate contender, even in the relatively weak East. That isn’t going to happen.
Y’all just don’t feel secure in life without hating on Toronto. Must be a miserable individual to spend time knocking another country and team… I didn’t know that’s what real men actually did.
It’s not about Toronto or feelings of Toronto or any Foxtrot opinion years later— It was about KL trying to arrange a title in his hometown.
He was NOT going to join LJ and help LJ. He wanted more help and had leverage as a FA and used it.
If anybody got dissed in this thread, it was the Clippers of 2019, who created much momentum for themselves and was a draw for KL. They were not “scrubby” and they checked boxes. Ever hear of Jerry West or Doc Rivers? Ballmer is/was the richest (maybe most rules-bending) owner in the league and was to build a new stadium. LA is an attraction on its own.
And what does Miami have to do with it?
I made a point. Miami is a first class organization with banners, clippers can’t say the same thing.
Last season’s Raptors minus Kawhi were a much better team than last season’s Clippers minus Kawhi. The Raptors with Kawhi absolutely win the East and probably the championship last season.
Yeah Lakers would smoke them if they got to finals
Smoke them like their 2 losses to Raps that season.
RS wins mean nothin’ my friend, LAL would have run riot with the sorry TOR, right?
Start Rondo or the Clippers are dead!
Who else remembers last offseason, after Doc got the Philly job and Lue got the Clippers, Paul George made mention of Doc’s “adjustments” – or lack there of – in the playoffs and Doc said, “Adjustments? I hope he’s not talkin about adjustments, because Ty Lue was sitting right next to me!”
So what do you think he was saying?— b/c I can think of about four interpretations.
Paper Clips to be swept is fitting end for how they escaped the obvious tampering. Kawhi telling Raps it wasn’t good enough was only his ploy to get them to trade for Paul G. At the end, it all works out. Clips are done like dinner. Kawhi gets old, fades away and never wins another championship. Raps wins the lottery, gets CC and on the short road to another title.
I’m with that…
What battle of L.A? Clippers are the pets and the lakers are the beasts of L.A. Kawhi left an ideal situation to team with PG and a team that has a history of blowing 3-1 leads and can’t even make the conference finals. He won chips with an actual floor general and deep rosters. When the grass isn’t greener happens and Luka straight up torched the supposedly best two wing defenders…
L.A. is a Dodgers and Lakers city. There are no battles regarding the sports teams there and that won’t change within any of our lifetimes.
Skip Bayless again proves he is the biggest dope in sports and that an idiot can make millions of dollars from stupidity.