Despite a disappointing first-round playoff exit that saw Paul George (right knee sprain) and Kawhi Leonard (torn right meniscus) sidelined with injuries, the Clippers remain committed to their star duo, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Mark Medina of Sportsnaut.com.
As Medina writes, both players have missed significant time due to injuries since the Clippers acquired them in the 2019 offseason, but they are under contract through at least 2023/24, with player options for ’24/25. The Clippers still believe George and Leonard are in the prime of their careers and are “enamored” with their ability to play both ends of the court.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Leonard is still exploring his options with team doctors to determine whether or not he’ll need surgery for the meniscus tear, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times, who reports that the process could take a while. Greif points out that the Clippers will have a challenging offseason because they’re projected to be well over the luxury tax again and three of their veteran forwards (Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington) had inconsistent seasons, making them difficult to trade.
- Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times believes the Clippers should trade Leonard or George, or perhaps even both, arguing that their inability to stay on the court has been more detrimental than beneficial. Plaschke considers the Clippers legitimate contenders when both players are healthy and praises the organization as a whole, in particular owner Steve Ballmer, but thinks all of that is ultimately irrelevant when Leonard and George simply don’t play enough games for it to matter.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca makes the opposite case, arguing that the Clippers should stick with Leonard because he is perhaps the most dominant postseason performer in the world when healthy. Grange believes Leonard’s desire to win championships is undeniable, pointing to Toronto’s title run in 2019 as evidence.
- George, who turns 33 next week, believes he can be productive for several more seasons, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. “I think I got a lot of good years in me, I know Kawhi thinks he’s got a lot of good years in him,” George said before Game 5. “I mean, I’m not going to put any pressure on that anytime soon. The only thing I can do is continue to just work on my game, work on myself and just try to be available as much as possible. … It hurts to not play and watch the guys put it all in the line and not be able to do the same. It’s very frustrating, and it sucks. It really does suck.”
- In another article for The Athletic, Murray writes that guard Russell Westbrook made a positive impact on many people within the organization during his few months with the Clippers. His strong playoff showing may convince a rival team to offer him more money in free agency than the Clippers are able to, so retaining him might be difficult unless he’s willing to take a discount, says Murray.
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