Clippers Reportedly ‘Done’ Building Around Kawhi Leonard

A former staff member of the Los Angeles Clippers told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes recently that the Western Conference contender is no longer making star forward Kawhi Leonard the centerpiece of the roster.

Holmes quoted the former Clippers staffer as saying, “They’re done building around [Kawhi]. They know that and he knows that.”

Kawhi Leonard Joined Clippers In 2019

Leonard, 34, is among the best players in the league when healthy, but the six-time All-NBA member has struggled to remain on the court throughout much of his playing career.

Since the 2017-18 season when he played in only nine games due to an injury, Leonard has appeared in at least 60 games just twice in the past seven campaigns.

Despite missing only 22 games in the 2018-19 season, Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA championship, and he was named Finals MVP for the second time in his career.

During the 2019 offseason, Leonard joined the Clippers on a three-year, $103.14 million deal. After that contract, he inked a four-year, $176.27 million deal in 2021 and then a three-year, $149.51 million extension in 2024.

However, one rival general manager told Holmes that the original deal to bring Leonard to the Clippers “was a f—king disaster” based on everything that has transpired.

Leonard has earned three All-Star selections and owns averages of 24.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.6 steals with Los Angeles, but he has missed a total of 216 regular-season games during this span.

League Executives Expect Leonard To Play Out His Contract

Multiple GMs and other league executives told Holmes that they expect Leonard to play out his contract with the Clippers, which is set to end after the 2026-27 season.

More importantly, the NBA is currently investigating Leonard and the Clippers after a report surfaced that Leonard had signed a $28 million endorsement deal for “tree brokerage” Aspiration, a former team sponsor that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

Leonard allegedly didn’t do any work for Aspiration, leading to speculation that the $28 million endorsement agreement was a route for Leonard to earn additional money on top of his NBA salary that would have helped L.A. to circumvent the salary cap.

The Clippers don’t control their first-round pick in the next four years. Their unprotected first-round pick in 2026 will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers in 2027.

While L.A. has made the playoffs five times in Leonard’s six years with the club, the team has not been able to reach the NBA Finals. Some change could be needed as winning a title has been the ultimate goal.

The Clips have suffered three straight first-round losses.