Another year and another premature exit for the Los Angeles Clippers. Friday night, the Clippers were defeated 114-101 in Game 6 of their first round series against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in round two.
When Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined in Los Angeles in 2019, the expectation was that, at some point, a championship would be on the horizon in the not-so-distant future.
Five years later, though, and the Clippers’ playoff results look like this:
2020 - 49-23, Western Conference Semifinals Loss
2021 - 47-25, Western Conference Finals Loss
2022 - 42-40, Play-In Tournament Loss
2023 - 44-38, First Round Playoff Loss
2024 - 51-31, First Round Playoff Loss
The Clippers traded for James Harden on Oct. 30, bringing in yet another former all-star to the LA fold. Despite a rocky beginning, the Clippers at one point won 12 out of 15 games, and had at another point won seven out of eight. However, three consecutive losses to end the season, including Leonard missing the last eight regular season games, was worrisome.
While Leonard’s 68 games this season were his most since 2016-2017 (74), he missed four of the six games versus the Mavericks.
Leonard is under contract until the conclusion of the 2026-2027 season. George has a player option this summer at nearly $58.8 million, James Harden is a free agent, and Russell Westbrook has one more year left on his contract at just over $4 million. Mason Plumlee, Brandon Boston Jr., and Daniel Theis are the team’s other free agents along with Harden.
The Clippers could very well bring back their same core group, and bank on health once again for the upcoming year. That, however, had backfired on them since 2019. This is the second consecutive postseason that Leonard has not played the full complement of games (he played in only Game 1 of last year’s first round series against the Phoenix Suns), and in the 2021 playoffs he was unavailable in the conference finals against the Suns as well.
The fit of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, two ball dominant players, forced Westbrook to the bench, where he struggled to play his type of game. It was difficult for him to get any rhythm, and while he is not the player he was, he can still be productive with the ball in his hands. He would be better off going to a team where he could reprise his role as a ball handler, and help either a young team that needs veteran leadership (San Antonio), or another contender (New York Knicks). No longer a starter, he does not have to be one of your main guys. He is just better served playing for a team that will better utilize his skills or has the roster construction to play him in his traditional role.
George has a player option, and being from Los Angeles, he could easily opt in to it. There is also a sign-and-trade possibility with George, or he declines altogether and becomes a free agent. It is unlikely that Leonard, given his salary and recent injury history, would have many trade suitors.
The team needs to get younger though, and could work on their front court depth. Ivica Zubac is a nice young player, and is under contract for another year. He, though, faced a difficult matchup in Maverick center Daniel Gafford, whose athletic ability gave him some issues.
The team also has good young wing Terance Mann, 27. Norman Powell is a very good “3 and D” wing player as well.
The question is just health. The pattern of Leonard’s unavailability is concerning, but it’s not likely at all that they will move on from him. George could be on the move to a younger team that lacks a perimeter scorer.
Whatever the thought process, Lawrence Frank, the team’s President of Basketball Operations, has some tough decisions to make regarding the team’s future.
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