Our player preview series for the 2026 Clippers continues with Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers’ embattled superstar.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 225 pounds

Position: Small Forward/Power Forward

Age: 34

Years in NBA: 14

Stats: 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.9 turnovers in 31.9 minutes per game across 37 games played (all starts) on 49.8/41.1/81.0 shooting splits (5.1 3PA, 3.3 FTA) for 58.9 True Shooting

Contract Status: Signed for $50M this year and $50M next year in the middle of a three-year deal

Expectations

It’s hard to map out expectations for Kawhi Leonard. But considering he finally finished a season healthy and is going into this season healthy, I think it’s reasonable enough to have actual expectations this year. Kawhi’s numbers have declined every season he’s been a Clipper, but he’s still a star-level player and at age 34, should be able to perform like one for another couple of years. I think scoring in the low 20s, his usual handful of rebounds and assists, and good but not world-class defense are fair expectations for Kawhi at this stage.

Things are, of course, a bit complicated by the offseason reporting by Pablo Torre on the Clippers, Kawhi, and the company Aspiration. The NBA has launched an investigation into potential wrongdoing, and it’s already been stated that there probably won’t be updates until the All Star Break at earliest. On one hand, the investigation and the story could hang over the season like a cloud. On the other, the Clippers could maintain an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach and focus on proving “the haters” wrong. Kawhi in particular might have something to prove this year. That said, there is at least a possibility of Kawhi being suspended or otherwise punished if the investigation does find the Clippers and Kawhi circumvented the salary cap or otherwise broke league rules. We will just have to wait and see.

Strengths

Kawhi’s best skill at this point is his scoring package, a funny thing considering he came into the NBA as a defense-first (and some thought defense-only) player. Despite missing over half of the season and getting ramped up once he did return, Kawhi still averaged more than 21.5 points per game and scored at an efficient rate. Kawhi remains a deadly midrange shooter, with his size, strength, and footwork enabling him to get his 15-footer off consistently against almost any defense. That go-to shot is an incredibly important skill as a lead scorer in the NBA, and it’s partially why Kawhi is as feared as he is.

However, Kawhi has also improved his three-point shot over the years. For his Clippers’ career, he’s a 40.3% shooter from deep on 5.1 attempts per game – excellent efficiency and solid volume. That shotmaking has enabled Kawhi to play off-ball a significant amount, letting guards like James Harden handle more of the playmaking and on-ball duties. You’d wish Kawhi would shoot a tad more considering his efficacy, but he’s still excellent as a spot-up presence.

Finally, Kawhi is still a very strong defender. He does not ramp up his defense as much as he did earlier in his career, when he was one of the best perimeter defenders in NBA history, but he’s still big, strong, and physical on-ball and a menace in passing lanes due to his wingspan and instincts. Kawhi is particularly good at helping at the rim and covering up for back-line flaws, pairing with Ivica Zubac to give the Clippers a robust rim defense. In games when he really locks in, Kawhi elevates from good to superb defensively, and hopefully he can do more of that this year with fewer responsibilities on offense.

Weaknesses

If availability is the best strength, lack of availability is the worst weakness, and Kawhi Leonard just has not been as available as the Clippers (and Kawhi) would like during his Clippers’ tenure. In his six seasons with the team, Leonard has played 57, 52, 0, 52, 68, and 37 games, for an average of 44 games per season. Basic math would tell you that is just over 50% of the NBA’s 82-game regular season calendar. Not only has Kawhi’s lack of availability made the team worse on a game-to-game basis, but it also mitigated the Clippers’ potential chemistry and has resulted in confusion across the organization at points. There are many, many reasons the Clippers have not had the success they thought they would when they signed Kawhi in 2019, but his shaky health has to be the number one factor.

Kawhi’s play has also dipped during his time with the Clippers. His scoring has declined every single season on the team, and his 2025 campaign saw Clippers’ tenure lows in rebounds, assists, minutes, and true shooting efficiency – though his numbers were more in line with his team averages once he was up to full strength. His advanced metrics reflect the decline as well, with his BPM falling from 8.9 in 2020 to 7.3, 6.1, 5.5, and then 3.1 last year. Per BPM, that made his first two years All-NBA first team caliber with his last season being just an All-Star performance. I think he can improve upon last season’s numbers due to a healthy offseason, but the days of him being an MVP-level player are probably over.

In terms of sheer on-court weaknesses, Kawhi’s biggest flaw has always been his playmaking, which is good but not great for a scorer of his caliber. The additions of Chris Paul and Bradley Beal on top of the presence of James Harden will mitigate that weakness to some extent, but it’s still present.

Finally, Kawhi no longer gets to the line like he used to. He had a free throw rate of 0.194 last year (he got to the line 0.194 times for every field goal attempt), the lowest of his career and far lower than in his prime. Again, those numbers might bounce back a bit after a healthy offseason, but it’s hard to be a truly elite scorer in the NBA if you don’t get to the line frequently.

Summary

Kawhi Leonard remains the Clippers’ most important player in terms of ceiling. If he can somehow stay healthy for most of the season and into the playoffs, they will probably be a very good team with a shot at a deep playoff run. If his campaign is once again marred by injury, the Clippers will probably be a pretty good regular season squad with no real shot at a postseason push. Right now, Kawhi is healthy and looks good, and that’s a terrific sign for the Clippers. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen throughout his six-year tenure, his availability can turn on a dime. The Clippers just have to do their best to keep him going and hope for one last season of superstar-level play combined with health.

Clippers 2026 Player Preview: Kawhi Leonard
Robert Flom

I know a lot of people have been curious as to my (and Lucas’) thoughts on the Kawhi Leonard Aspiration story. Well, we did a 40 minute podcast last night that focused almost entirely on the scenario, giving our thoughts on the reporting, our opinions on the matter, and what we think the outcome for the Clippers will be.

Check out the latest episode of TLTJTP on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. For those with no interest in this off-the-court story, we did a podcast a few weeks ago about Bradley Beal’s fit on the team with Suns reporter Gerald Bourguet, a podcast with Michael Pina of the Ringer on the Clippers’ offseason, and a podcast last week on answering mailbag questions. Leave a 5-star review and give your feedback in the comments below!

TLTJTP: The Kawhi Leonard Aspiration Story
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with the team’s best player, the injury-troubled Kawhi Leonard.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 225 pounds

Position: Small Forward/Power Forward

Age: 33 (34 in four weeks)

Years in NBA: 14

Key Regular Season Stats: 21.5 points, 3.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.9 turnovers in 31.9 minutes per game across 37 games played (all starts) on 49.8/41.1/81.0 (5.1 3PA, 3.3 FTA attempts) shooting splits (58.9 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 25.0 points, 4.7 assists, 7.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 2.1 turnovers in 37.9 minutes per game across seven games played (all starts) on 53.7/40.5/77.8 shooting splits (5.3 3PA, 5.1 FTA) shooting splits (63.0 True Shooting)

Expectations

Perhaps no player in the entire NBA had a wider range of expectations this year than Kawhi Leonard. Pessimists could realistically say they expected absolutely nothing of Kawhi considering his fiasco at the Olympics and his being ruled out indefinitely before the regular season. Optimists could point to Kawhi’s highly successful 2024 regular season and the Clippers just being cautious in bringing him back, with a plan to have him at a similar level in 2025. People in the middle thought Kawhi would miss some portion of the season, and might not be able to reach similar heights as he did in 2025, but still be a contributor of some kind. At the end of the day, nobody knew what to expect from Kawhi.

Reality

Kawhi missed almost half the season with his knee injury, first appearing in the Clippers’ 35^th game of the year, against the Atlanta Hawks on January 4. He had a slow ramp up period, with his first three games being limited to around 20 minutes per game, his next four being around 24 minutes, and his next four sitting at 28 minutes before getting the bump to around 32. Kawhi also sat most of the Clippers’ back-to-backs until very late in the season, when he played in their last two while the Clippers were making their postseason push.

For the first two months of Kawhi’s season, in January and February, even as his playing time progressed, Kawhi did not seem truly like Kawhi. The per minute production was excellent, and the scoring from midrange was as pure as ever, but Kawhi’s impact was not the same. He wasn’t contributing as much on the glass, the defense was only ok, not great, and he wasn’t getting to the free throw line at all. Concerns grew that Kawhi would not be Kawhi again in 2025.

Things shifted in March, when Kawhi’s averages rose to 25 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. More importantly, his defense took a step forward, and his on-court/off-court stats started to reflect a high-impact player. Kawhi’s ramp-up continued for the rest of the season, as his minutes load was completely removed, and he was even able to play in back-to-backs. All seemed set for a vintage Kawhi performance in the playoffs with the Klaw fully healthy and ready to go.

Unfortunately, that’s not really what the Clippers received. Kawhi put forth a dominant Game 2 effort, one of the best performances of his entire career, and one that primed Clippers fans for more of the same after a disappointing Game 1. Instead, the Clippers just got a merely “very good” Kawhi, who was largely impactful but not a true game-changer. While Kawhi’s stats for the series look mighty impressive, his numbers in the six games outside of Game 2 are markedly less so: field goal percentage drops from 53.7 to 49, three point percentage from 40.5 to 36.6, and FT percentage from 77.8 to 74.2, with points per game falling all the way from 25 to 22.6. There was one game of greatness, and that was all.

The Clippers’ previous four playoff runs (2021-2024) all ended with Kawhi on the sidelines not able to contribute on the court. There was always the “what if Kawhi was healthy” factor looming over the Clippers, which meant a lack of closure on those teams. Well, Kawhi was healthy in 2025, and the Clippers lost anyway. That’s not all on Kawhi, of course – almost every Clipper disappointed in the playoffs. But as the team’s best player, the burden falls heaviest on him. It was a miserable ending to what had been a terrific season for both Kawhi and the Clippers.

Future with Clippers

Kawhi Leonard has two more seasons left on his contract at $50 and $50.3M. The Clippers are in a very interesting position, and Kawhi is at the center of it. The team won 50 games while Kawhi only played 37 games and took the Nuggets to 7 games – who took the champion-favorite Thunder to 7 games. The Clippers could very easily decide to keep their current roster together, run things back, and try another season at competing with this core.

There is the chance that the Clippers will conduct more of a reset this summer. Kawhi is entering his mid-30s. Harden is closing in on his late-30s. Most of the other Clippers’ rotation are somewhere in their 30s as well. There is every chance that the Clippers are worse next year, aren’t as healthy entering the postseason, or just don’t have the same infectious chemistry that carried them to 50 wins this year. Thus, could the Clippers get out ahead of those risks and shake up their roster more this summer? It’s possible.

However, moving Kawhi himself remains unlikely. While he only has two years left on his deal, and is an All-NBA caliber player while healthy, it is doubtful that any team would give up real assets for Kawhi – and the Clippers would only trade him for a haul of some kind. Instead, I’d expect the Clippers to retool around Kawhi, and maybe, finally, get a physical, large power forward next to him to help take some of the defensive and rebounding load off his shoulders. I’d be rather shocked if Kawhi was not on the Clippers next season, which means it will be another year of praying he is healthy come end-of-year.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kawhi Leonard
Robert Flom

Our player preview series for the 2025 Clippers continues with Kawhi Leonard, the team’s oft-injured superstar.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 225 pounds

Position: Power forward/Small forward

Age: 33

Years in NBA: 13

Regular Season Stats: 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.8 turnovers in 34.3 minutes per game across 68 games played (all starts) on 52.5/41.7/88.5 shooting splits with 62.6% TS

Playoff Stats: 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.0 turnovers in 29.5 minutes per game across 2 games played (both starts) on 45.8/0/66.7 shooting splits with 47.4% TS

Contract Status: Signed a three year, $153M extension in January, making $53M this year

Expectations

What even are reasonable expectations for Kawhi Leonard at this point? On one hand, the 2024 season was somewhat of a triumph for Kawhi, who played 68 regular games (his most since 2017) while logging 34.3 minutes per game (the highest of his career) and making the All-NBA Second Team and All Star Game. On the other hand, he was forced out of the end of the regular season due to knee troubles, and barely played in the playoffs at 50% capacity as a result. He had a knee scope this summer, and basically all reporting is indicating he will be back on load management.

Can Kawhi play 60 games at 30+ minutes per game again? At this point, that honestly sounds like a major win for the Clippers. If he does, can he maintain an All-NBA level of play over that extended stretch? That would be massive. The Clippers no longer have Paul George, their depth is not quite as good as it was years ago, and the West has gotten better. If the Clippers don’t get that durability and level of play from Kawhi, they very well might not make the postseason – even if he would be healthy enough to play in it. I think a fair expectation for Kawhi is 55-60 games at an All Star and fringe All NBA level. In this bloggers’ opinion, anything more than that is gravy.

Strengths

It’s a bit wild to say, but after starting his career as an offensively-limited, defense-first player, Kawhi Leonard’s best skill in the NBA right now is his scoring. Not counting his injury-shortened 2018 campaign, Kawhi has averaged at least 21 points per game in each of his last seven seasons and at least 23.5 in his last six. Not only that, but Kawhi scores at volume on excellent efficiency, with only one true shoointg in those seven years being below 60%. He’s a deadly long-range shooter (40.2% on 5.1 attempts as a Clipper), knockdown from midrange, and a strong finisher. The only area where Kawhi is slipping is as a foul-drawer, as his free throw rate of 0.24 last year was his lowest since he made the jump to a legitimate scorer back in 2015. Even if he does get to the line less, there’s no reason Kawhi can’t continue to average 20+ points per game on good efficiency for the next couple of years.

Kawhi is nowhere close to the defensive force he was a decade ago in San Antonio, when some people considered him the best perimeter defender to ever suit up in the NBA. However, he’s still a good defensive player on a game-to-game basis and is considerably better than that for shorter stretches when he can really lock in. Kawhi’s size, length, strength, and disruptive hands are all unchanged, making him a real presence both as a one-on-one defender against wings and forwards and as the “low man” in help situations. When Kawhi was on the court last year, the Clippers were a top five defense and when he was off they were in the bottom five. That says a lot about the impact he continues to have on that end.

Weaknesses

Kawhi’s biggest weakness is undoubtedly durability. As mentioned above, last season was his healthiest regular season since 2017, and even before his leg injuries picked up he only played over 70 games twice. With Kawhi unlikely to play in back-to-backs this year, he will be capped at around 68 games, and that’s not counting missing any other games for injuries, illness, or personal reasons. Your best player being your most unreliable in terms of availability creates a very difficult path for building a team or winning a championship, and ultimately that was the downfall of the 213 era (among other reasons).

If you had to point to one Kawhi weakness on the court, it would be that he’s a subpar playmaker for a number one scoring option. His highest ever assists per game mark was in 2021, at 5.2, and he averaged just 3.6 last year. With Paul George and Russell Westbrook gone that number will definitely go back up, but Kawhi is definitely more of a fine passer than a good one. There will be times he sees passes a hair too late or doesn’t make the read at all. He’s definitely not a ball hog or an awful passer, but it’s just not a natural part of his game, even though he’s worked on it.

Summary

There is no evidence that the Clippers have ever tried to trade Kawhi, nor has there been any real evidence that Kawhi has looked at leaving the Clippers. With Kawhi under contract for three more seasons and his probable lack of trade value even if he or the Clippers wanted to move on, it’s hard to see him not being on the Clippers through 2025. After that, who knows – but Kawhi has won two championships already, and this might be the first season in his entire 14-year career that he’s not on a contending team, so being on a contender might not mean quite as much to him. I would guess Kawhi plays out the year with the Clippers, and I’d bet on him being a Clipper until he retires. Hopefully he’s able to play in a good chunk of games this season and plays at the level we have all come to expect from him, pushing back on the narrative that his career is “cooked”.

Clippers 2024-2025 Player Preview: Kawhi Leonard
Robert Flom

It’s been a while since we have heard from the Clippers leadership, but tonight, with training camp a week off, Lawrence Frank and Ty Lue spoke to the media. Amidst all the usual talk of playing faster, taking more threes, and having a stronger identity, some big news was dropped – Kawhi Leonard had a procedure this offseason on his troublesome knee.

This news might not be as shocking to non-Clippers fans as it is to the Clippers’ faithful. Every time we have heard about Kawhi this offseason it has been a similar story – he has swelling, and it’s going down slower than expected. The slow nature of his recovery seems to be why he was sent home from Team USA before the Olympics. Thus, even though nothing came up on the initial scans in March or April, it seemed very likely that a “scope” would need to be done to see what was going on.

Now, it’s unclear what kind of knee procedure happened and when it occurred (Update: A Shams and Law Murray report is that it happened in May). It can’t have been anything too serious – like an ACL – because there wouldn’t be talk of him doing strengthening drills in training camp. But it’s possible outside of the scope there was some other cleanup surgery done.

It seems that Kawhi’s knee swelling is finally going down – but is not fully gone yet. Lawrence Frank would not commit to Kawhi being ready for the start of the regular season, and if I had to make a prediction, I don’t think he’ll play on opening night. It’s grim news for the first season at the new Intuit Dome, and while I think the Clippers can at least be competitive without Kawhi for a few weeks, they are going to sink in the West standings if he’s out for too long.

In other news, Ty Lue said that starting spots outside of Harden, Kawhi, and Zu are up in the air. The presumed other starters have been Terance Mann and Derrick Jones Jr., but it’s possible Norm Powell, Amir Coffey, Nic Batum, or even Kris Dunn could make their way in as well. It will be interesting to see how the battles for rotation spots shape up in training camp and preseason.

In addition to Kawhi, Trentyn Flowers has a wrist injury and will be out for camp as well. Lawrence Frank also mentioned there were further injuries, but would not specify which players were effected and that updates would be provided as appropriate. Hopefully none are serious, as the Clippers are starting behind the eight-ball as it is. For now, all we can do is wait and see.

Kawhi Leonard had Offseason Knee Surgery
Robert Flom

While the Clippers officially announced most of their free agent signings today, the biggest news of the day was that superstar Kawhi Leonard was taken off the Team USA Olympic team for the 2024 Olympics. He will be replaced by Celtics guard Derrick White.

The official statement by Team USA acknowledged that Kawhi Leonard “felt ready to compete” but that USA Basketball and the Clippers determined it was best for him to prepare himself for the upcoming NBA season. There was also reporting that Kawhi’s camp had expressed concern about his participation in the Olympics.

Kawhi himself said his knee is “neutral” and that it only started feeling better about two weeks ago, which aren’t exactly strongly positive statements considering the injury first popped up back in March over three months ago. An injury without any structural damage lingering that long is not ideal.

All of this adds to a situation where Kawhi might be “healthy” and could play, but is not quite at 100% and thus could be at greater risk of further injury. It seems as though Kawhi wanted to play, but that most of the other involved parties felt it best if he didn’t.

This is a bummer for Kawhi. He hasn’t played in the Olympics, or even for Team USA proper, certainly the best player of his generation who has not done so. By the time of the next Olympics, Kawhi will likely either be retired or not the caliber of player that the Olympic squad will seek. This was his last chance to play for Team USA, and he couldn’t do it. That sucks!

For the Clippers, they can now focus on rest, rehab, and making sure Kawhi is ready for training camp in three months. It seems as though his knee is fine, or close to it, which is good. The question of whether he will ever be able to sustain months of good health with his knees is an open one, and the chances of a deep playoff run seem remote for multiple reasons. Still, hopefully Kawhi is fully ready to go at the start of the 2025 season.

Update: Grant Hill, the managing director of Team USA, has said it was ultimately Team USA’s decision to send Kawhi home, though they were in communication with the Clippers. I’m not sure this really changes much, but it seems very likely the Team USA staff saw things in practice they did not like, and that they felt it best for Kawhi’s health to send him home.

Kawhi Leonard Off Team USA for Paris Olympics
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2024 Clippers concludes with their superstar, Kawhi Leonard.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 225 pounds

Position: Small Forward/Power Forward

Age: 32 (33 in three weeks)

Years in NBA: 13

Key Regular Season Stats: 23.7 points, 3.6 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 1.8 turnovers in 34.3 minutes per game across 68 games played (all starts) on 52.5/41.7/88.5 (4.9 3PA, 4.2 FTA attempts) shooting splits (62.6 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 12.0 points, 2.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2.0 turnovers in 29.5 minutes per game across two games played (both starts) on 45.8/0/66.7 shooting splits (2.5 3PA, 1.5 FTA) shooting splits (47.4 True Shooting)

Expectations

The expectations for Kawhi were the same they’ve been every year he’s been on the Clippers: be the best player on the team. More specifically, after a very good regular season in 2023, the expectation for Kawhi was still to be at “best player on a title level” level player in 2024 while hopefully playing more games. As always, Kawhi was projected to score in the mid-20s on excellent efficiency, provide very good defense, support Zu on the glass, and dish a decent number of assists for extremely well-rounded overall production.

Reality

Like many Clippers, Kawhi’s start to the season – both before and after the Harden trade – wasn’t great. He has notoriously been a bit of a slow starter, and that proved true this year. Just like everyone else on the Clippers, he had to adjust to Harden, and not having the ball in his hands as much.

However, the biggest reason for the Clippers’ surge in December – more than Harden, more than Zu, more than anyone – was Kawhi Leonard played at a legitimate MVP level. In those nine games in December, Kawhi averaged 29.3 points on a bonkers 73.2 True Shooting, adding six rebounds and 4.1 rebounds for good measure. Those numbers slipped a bit in January, but were good enough to have Kawhi making 5^th MVP ballots halfway through the season when the Clippers briefly got to the 1 seed.

Then, like with everything else on the Clippers, things began to fell apart. Just like with Harden, Kawhi’s numbers looked pretty strong in February, but the impact just didn’t quite seem to be there. In March, Kawhi had his worst month of the season, averaging just 22.9 points on 59.9 True Shooting (still very good), and got injured, missing the last few games of the month and then all of April.

Clippers fans braced for the worst with a Kawhi injury late in the season. Still, reporting around the injury was at least reasonably positive, and the news came out before Game 2 against the Mavs that Kawhi would play. Expectations were reasonably muted after Kawhi had missed a month and seemingly rushed back a bit, but Kawhi overall played well enough even though the Clippers lost, scoring 15 points with 7 rebounds and 4 steals in 35 minutes and looking reasonably athletic. If anything, fans were hopeful Kawhi would keep looking better as the series went along.

That was not the case. Kawhi immediately looked stiff and sore in Game 3, operating more as a decoy than as a functioning part of the Clippers game plan. He logged just 25 minutes in a blowout loss, with 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 turnovers. It was clear that not only was Kawhi not getting healthier, but that he had backslid. Sure enough, he was ruled out of Game 4, and missed Games 5 and 6 as well. Another premature Clippers’ exit.

Future with Clippers

Kawhi Leonard is the Clipper whose future is most certain. He signed a 3 year, $153M deal midseason when the Clippers were playing great, putting him on the books until he will be close to his late 30s. This is not all the way a good thing for the Clippers. While Kawhi had an awesome regular season and the Clippers want to have him to open Intuit with a superstar-level player, he once again missed most of the postseason, resulting in another Clippers’ disappointment. Thus, the real reason Kawhi will be on the team going forward is that nobody in the NBA can trust his health as a trade target.

Kawhi, rightfully, made Second Team All-NBA. He had an excellent regular season, playing in his most games in a season since his peak in 2017 and playing a solid 34.3 minutes per game. He was, for the most part, healthy. But another late season injury has made the Clippers’ plans for Kawhi to be a serious regular season player untenable. All the indications are that load management will be a thing again for Kawhi going forward. No more playing on back to backs. A lighter minutes load. The whole deal. One thing that would be nice for Kawhi – and the team as a whole – would be if the Clippers could add a true, playable power forward to the team so Kawhi could shift to small forward and accumulate less physical wear and tear.

After five years with Kawhi Leonard, it’s hard to say that the 213 era has been anything but a disappointment, despite the 2021 run for the franchise’s first conference finals. Still, Kawhi will be just 33 next year. He was still an easy All-NBA caliber player this year. If the Clippers are cautious, and push the right buttons, maybe, just maybe, they will be able to nurture Kawhi to a healthy postseason for the first time since 2020.

2024 Clippers Exit Interview: Kawhi Leonard
Robert Flom

The Clippers announced today, out of the blue, that they signed Kawhi Leonard to a three-year extension. The Clippers did not disclose terms, but Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania both put the figure at 3 years, $153 with no player option.

This deal keeps Kawhi Leonard out of free agency and on the Clippers through 2027, when he will be 36 years old. As has already been reported, a primary motivating factor for the Clippers – outside of the obvious, that Kawhi is a superstar player when healthy – is that now Kawhi will be on the Clips for the first few seasons at the new Intuit Dome. The Clippers have their face of the franchise locked up.

Kawhi’s deal starts at $52M in 2024-2025, and then goes down to $50M the next two seasons, per Woj. The first number is the full max of the projected salary cap, while the following two would be somewhat below. This, I suppose, was a “concession” from Kawhi probably for age/injury reasons. The Clippers will still be over the cap then, but it probably helps their pockets a bit with lower tax payments.

There has also been reporting that the Clippers are in talks with Paul George on an extension and both sides are interested in a long-term partnership. So far, PG and Kawhi’s deals have been in lockstep. I’d imagine a three-year extension for George at around the same price (hopefully a bit cheaper but whatever, it’s Ballmer’s tax dollars and he can afford it) will get penned at some point in the near future.

On one hand, this deal does contain some risk. Kawhi has had numerous injury issues and the chance he’s both healthy and playing at his current level in 2027 seem remote. There’s a good chance this deal looks like an albatross in two years.

On the other hand, the Clippers have traded their picks and swaps through 2029 anyway, so a rebuild in the near future is simply not in the cards. Additionally, due to Kawhi’s injury history, its unlikely he’d get a massive return in a trade even if he was on a “friendlier” deal.

Really, this made sense for both sides. Kawhi gets security for the last few years of his prime/post-prime and the Clippers keep their superstar player to ensure some level of competence over the next few seasons. Let’s just enjoy the fact we get to watch Kawhi play for the Clippers for several more years.

Clippers Sign Kawhi Leonard to Three Year Extension
Robert Flom

Our player preview series for the 2024 Clippers season continues with Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers’ best player player.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7″

Weight: 225 pounds

Position: Small Forward

Age: 32

Years in NBA: 13

Key stats: 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game on 51.2/41.6/87.1 shooting splits across 52 games.

Contract Status: Third year of a four-year $176,265,152 contract worth $45,640,084 this season.

Expectations

There’s really only one major expectation from Clippers Nation this season regarding Kawhi Leonard, and that’s to stay healthy. For the most part, Leonard was able to do just that last season, the playoffs notwithstanding. The Clippers did their part in managing his minutes and games he played. Sure there were some hiccups along the way, but by and large Kawhi responded with a phenomenal bounce back after missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season.

The Clippers will likely load manage Kawhi Leonard again in 2024, and contrary to popular belief, the Clippers will not be penalized under the NBA’s new resting policy as long as Kawhi’s absences aren’t coinciding with rest for Paul George.

Strengths

When healthy, Leonard is absolutely one of the best players in the league. There’s not much he can’t do on the court. He’s a dominant scoring threat from anywhere. He’s perfected the art of the midrange jumper, but he’s also a great three-point shooter who shot the second-highest percentage in his career from distance last season.

Leonard definitely prefers the face-up and the pull-up jumper, but he can still get to the basket and he did average 5.4 attempts from the free-throw line last season.

He’s even become a fantastic playmaker, and he’s averaged a career-highs in assists throughout his Clippers tenure.

Defensively, he may not be the absolute lockdown defender he once was when he was younger, but he still has the chops on that end. One of his best defensive plays of the season came in Game 1 in the first round of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns when Leonard effortlessly ripped the ball from Kevin Durant and ran the break himself for an easy finish.

Weaknesses

Availability and health, that’s what the majority of Clippers fans would agree is Leonard’s pressing weakness at the moment. He’s only had one fully healthy complete season and playoff run with the Clippers, and that was the 2019-2020 season that ended in the bubble.

In 2020-21, Leonard suffered an ACL injury in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz that cut his playoff run short. He missed the entire 2021-22 season recovering from said injury. Last year, it was a knee injury following Game 2 against the Suns that sidelined him. Those injuries have been perhaps the reason the Clippers haven’t had more success in the 213 era.

Summary

This will be a key season for Leonard and the Clippers. After this year. they’ll be moving to the new Intuit Dome and Leonard will be able to decline his player option and become a free agent.

Despite the overall lack of availability, there’s always been reason for optimism for Clippers fans when it comes to Leonard. The Clippers looked every bit the part of championship contenders in 2021 before he got hurt against the Jazz. Last season, even without Paul George, with Leonard in the lineup the Clippers looked like they could have beaten the Suns.

Leonard’s presence raises the ceiling of this team in ways few other players can. The Clippers just need a little luck to bounce their way.

Clippers 2023-24 Season Preview: Kawhi Leonard
David Yapkowitz

Our exit interview series on the 2023 Clippers continues with superstar Kawhi Leonard.

Basic Information
Height: 6’7

Weight: 225 pounds

Position: Small Forward

Age: 31

Years in NBA: 12

Key Regular Season Stats: 23.8 points, 3.9 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.7 turnovers in 33.6 minutes per game across 52 games played (50 starts) on 51.2/41.6/87.1 (4.8 3PA and 5.4 FTA) shooting splits

Postseason Stats: 34.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.5 blocked shots, 3.0 turnovers in 40 minutes across two games played.

Expectations

Coming off an ACL tear, Clipper Nation was unsure what to realistically expect from Kawhi Leonard to begin the 2022-23 season. There was definitely some optimism considering that from top to bottom the Clippers looked like they had a championship caliber roster.

Prior to Leonard’s injury in Game 4 of the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals, he had been playing some of his best basketball. He was phenomenal in the first round against the Dallas Mavericks helping the Clippers come back from losing the first three home games of the series. After falling behind 0-2 to the Utah Jazz, his play helped the Clippers tie the series up at home. And that’s when the injury struck.

With Leonard being forced to miss the entirety of the 2021-22 season, it was always best for Clippers fans to temper their expectations to start this season as he continued to fully recover from the injury.

Reality

Although patience was going to be critical to begin this season, Clippers fans probably didn’t envision what actually happened. The season started out bizarre and should have been a harbinger of things to come. Leonard came off the bench against the Los Angeles Lakers on the first game of the season and didn’t get into the game until midway through the second quarter.

He sat out the front end of a back to back after that, then missed a big stretch of games as the knee wasn’t responding as well as the team had hoped.

Once Leonard returned, he continued his load management not playing on any back to backs. After starting out the season a bit slowly, as expected, Leonard began working himself back into top shape. There was one weird incident against the Memphis Grizzlies when Leonard, after starting the game, surprisingly sat for the second half. But aside from that, he started looking more and more like the superstar that he is.

Unfortunately for the Clippers, wonky lineups and inconsistent play saw them hovering over .500 for much of the season. The entire mood seemed to be that if they can just get to the playoffs healthy, then they’ll take it from there.

The good news was that by the final two months of the regular season, Leonard was unstoppable. His movement was back. His shot was back. His defense was back. Despite everything the Clippers had endured during the regular season, it was hard not to imagine a strong playoff run with Leonard at his best.

Sure enough, when the postseason rolled around, despite no Paul George, Leonard went toe to toe with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in the first two games of the first round and Clippers fans started believing again. Bad luck just seems to follow this team though as Leonard suffered a knee injury sometime during Game 2 and ultimately was ruled out for the remainder of the series.

Future with Clippers

Kawhi Leonard still has at least one year left on his contract with the Clippers, possibly two if he decides to use his player option to opt in, in the 2024 offseason. Despite ridiculousness coming from the national media, Leonard isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The Clippers aren’t going to make any drastic changes before they move to their new arena and they certainly aren’t going to trade Leonard.

The feeling around this team is they just got hit with some unfortunate injury luck once again and that the nucleus is there to win a championship. Should Leonard remain for the duration of this contract, he will hit unrestricted free agency in 2025. Obviously if injury issues continue to persist between now and then, the Clippers are going to have to have some uncomfortable conversations. But as of now, Leonard’s future with the team is not in any peril.

2023 Clippers Exit Interview: Kawhi Leonard
David Yapkowitz