Kawhi remains silent on Clippers’ prospects, ‘not worried’ about NBA’s Aspiration investigation.
LOS ANGELES — LA Clippers All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard was not prepared to talk about his future with the team following Wednesday night’s season-ending defeat to the Golden State Warriors as he approaches the final year of his contract.
“Let me cry about this loss a little bit more,” Leonard responded when asked if he envisioned a future with the Clippers, who traded All-Star guard James Harden and young center Ivica Zubac in February, leading many to speculate about a potential rebuild. “We’ll have our discussions when that time comes.”
Leonard is eligible to extend his contract for two additional seasons starting the day after the NBA Finals. As per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the maximum offer the Clippers can present is $126.1 million over the two years.
However, the Clippers did not falter following those trades, becoming the first team in NBA history to conclude the season 15 games over .500 after previously being 15 games under .500 at an earlier stage of the season. LA finished the regular season with a 36-19 record, the fourth best in the Western Conference during that period, after starting 6-21.
This initial phase included a tumultuous separation from franchise icon Chris Paul, who was abruptly sent home from a road trip and subsequently traded to Toronto, which was intended to be a retirement tour with his former team.
Paul ultimately retired after being released by the Raptors.
The situation with Paul marked the low point of a season that began poorly even before it commenced, as the team was involved in a controversy regarding an endorsement deal Leonard signed with a now-defunct former team sponsor, Aspiration.
Podcaster Pablo Torre reported prior to the season that former Aspiration employees believed Leonard’s endorsement was a method for the Clippers to bypass the salary cap.
The NBA initiated an ongoing investigation into Leonard’s agreement with Aspiration in September.
When asked Wednesday night if he was aware of the investigation’s status and how significant a resolution would be for him, Leonard stated:
“I never thought about it too much other than questions asked. You’ll have to ask the NBA, not me. I’m not the one doing the investigation. … I think we’re going to be in the clear. I’m not stressing it.”
The season-ending defeat to the Warriors was significant for another reason. In February, the Warriors were among the teams that reached out to the Clippers to inquire about Leonard’s availability following the Harden trade, according to multiple sources. Although those discussions did not progress, there is an expectation they could be revisited during the offseason, sources indicated.
If this was Leonard’s last season in Los Angeles, it was a remarkable one. He averaged the highest points per game in his career (27.9) and ranked in the top 10 for field goal percentage, 2-point percentage, and 3-point percentage. The Clippers had a plus-7.8 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor and a minus-6.9 when he was off. More importantly, Leonard participated in 66 games, his second highest total since the 2016-17 season.
Wednesday night demonstrated the extent to which the Clippers will need to enhance their roster if they decide to build around him again this summer, as the Warriors effectively tailored their defensive strategy to limit Leonard’s scoring and overall impact on the game. Leonard concluded with 21 points but managed only one field goal over the final 16 minutes. He also recorded five turnovers in the second half, his highest in any half since 2019.
According to ESPN Insights, Warriors forward Draymond Green defended Leonard for 51 half-court matchups, the most by any player in a game this season, and restricted Leonard to nine points on eight shots during those matchups.
“Draymond Green, Hall of Fame defender,” Leonard remarked. “It was hard to even get shots up.”
