For the Los Angeles Clippers, everything this season starts and stops with Kawhi Leonard. Can he actually play enough games? Can he stay healthy? It’s a story we’ve seen before, but it’s one that could determine whether this Clippers team goes anywhere in 2024-25.
With Leonard sidelined for weeks due to a knee injury, the Clippers are left banking on James Harden to carry them through. Harden can still bring plenty of buckets, but with the Western Conference being a bloodbath, this post-Paul George and non-Leonard roster feels nowhere near ready to make serious noise.
Right now, the Clippers are back in the all-too-familiar situation of holding on until Leonard comes back. However, there’s always a possibility they could shift their focus toward trade talks, especially with several candidates on the roster if things don’t go as planned. According to Clippers beat writer Law Murray, this could even make the 33-year-old Leonard a part of those conversations.
“This is a team that is going to transition. How drastic that transition is might depend on how well, one, they play without Kawhi, and two, what Kawhi looks like when he does get back and what the team looks like in January,” Murray said. “I don’t think anyone is safe or untouchable on this roster, and that includes Kawhi.”
