Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard underwent a procedure on his right knee in the offseason, Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic report (Twitter link).
It’s a troubling development as the Clippers head into training camp. Leonard will be limited in training camp, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank isn’t sure if Leonard will be ready to play by the season opener. But Frank also indicated during a press conference on Tuesday that he expects Leonard to have a “great year” and that his star forward feels he’s trending in the right direction (Twitter links here).
Leonard was sidelined at the end of the 2023/24 season due to right knee inflammation. He missed the last eight games of the regular season and first game of the playoffs due to the ailment. The 33-year-old returned for Game 2 and Game 3 vs. Dallas, then sat out the final three contests of the Clippers’ first-round loss.
Leonard was on Team USA’s roster but was replaced shortly before the Paris Olympics due to health concerns.
Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 34.3 minutes per game last season. He started 68 regular season games, the most he’s appeared in since he started 74 games for San Antonio in the 2016/17 season. He signed a three-year max extension with the Clippers in January.
The worst trade of all time.
Which trade was that? From the Spurs to the Raptors? I believe he signed with the Clippers as an unrestricted free agent? It was actually the Paul George trade where the Clippers got seriously screwed.
But maybe you mean the trade of all that cash via his annual salary for Kawhi Leonard’s services? Yeah pretty lousy exchange, you’re right.
Kawhi was essentially the only reason they pulled the trigger on that deal, so I stand by the statement. It was a package deal. SGA alone would be bad. Plus All those draft picks? Oof
Yup, agreed.
Kawhi would only sign if they made the PG trade, so that trade was pretty much for him too
Yep
If the Clippers were smart they should have said bye-bye Kawhi.
But no, Leonard’s latest luck leaves LA likely languishing in last.
That alliteration is poetic lol
Kawhi misses games every season. Why should this year be any different?
George is gone. Kawhi will be limited. Clippers dropping to last place in a tough division.
Kahwi will torture Clippers world for the next 3 years.
Each season will start with him playing enough to raise everyone’s hopes. “The Clippers can beat any team with Kahwi.” But, invariably, he’ll get injured, and always be unavailable for the playoffs.
Rinse and repeat, for 3 years.
Hoping they will do a desperation trade for LaVine
Maybe it’s a good thing for Chicago to hold on to Lavine for now.
Main reason they could get assets in return for taking on an injured Kawhi.
Yeah, maybe Mo Bamba for LaVine
MB81 ,
1. Agreed, PG trade will go down as one of worst ever.
2. Even worse: Ballmer’s decision to extend the perennially injured Kahwi through 2026-27 (3 more seasons) at $50M/yr. Combine that with the Clips having no firsts for until 2030, and the future looks bleak.
The lack of FRPs is the reason they had no choice but to extend him.
They could have found better ways to spend that money
yomamaspimp ,
> The lack of FRPs is the reason they had no choice
> but to extend him.
Disagree. The decision should have been based ONLY on Kahwi’s likely future availability, not on desperation. Ballmer ignored 6 year’s of history.
Free agents like LA. That $50M should have been used on a star to replace Kahwi and on retaining Paul George. Ballmer blew every decision.
Since Kawhi is making $49M and the Clippers are $36M over the cap that would have left them with around $13M in cap space. What “star” were going to sign?
I’ve been saying that the Clippers will be better without Paul George, provided that Kawhi is healthy.
I should have known better.
Great picture – the three faces of Clipper’s legacy of failure.
Toad , Clippers wanted to be under apron this season, just like the Warriors, to “reset” the clock on the repeater tax.
The Clippers intend to back over the cap next year and after. They have plenty of flexibility. PJ Tucker ($11M) and Terrence Mann ($11M) come off the books, and they have other assets they can move.
So, assuming the Clippers can afford to add a ~$40M/yr free agent next summer, my point is that it’s very difficult to attract a free agent to a team when that team has a $50M boat anchor that keeps it out of the playoffs.
By contrast, if the Clippers had kept George over Kahwi, I argue that would be an attractive destination for top tier free agents.
What a way to inaugurate your spanking new arena …… with an injured Kawhi and fatboy Harden.
This team isn’t a poverty franchise, but it sure is incredibly hopeless.
Ty Lue should have left when he had the chance.