Clippers’ second half of NBA season will be defined by these 3 storylines

The Clippers dramatically changed course earlier in February by trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac in an attempt to get younger and clear salary cap space in hopes of landing a top free agent in 2027.

Kawhi Leonard is now the last-standing star on the team after Paul George left in free agency in the summer of 2024 and Harden wanted out so he could join the contending Cavaliers. 

It’s a whiplash-inducing change for a Clippers team that had gone on a recent 17-5 run, becoming the NBA’s hottest team before the trade deadline. 

The Clippers are in 10th place in the Western Conference at 26-28. Here are the three biggest storylines for them in their final 28 games of the regular season:

1. What does this all mean for Kawhi Leonard?

Leonard is finally healthy and playing at an elite level. Entering this season, he had missed 226 regular-season games since he joined the Clippers in free agency in 2019, as well as multiple playoff series.

But recently, Kawhi looked like Kawhi again. 

He’s averaging a career-high 27.9 points a game and is leading the league in steals (2.1). During one of the All-Star Games on Sunday, he had 31 points in 12 minutes on 11-for-13 shooting from the field and 6-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc, including making a game-winning stepback 3-pointer with four seconds left. 

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Heading into the final stretch of the season, Leonard thought he’d be pouring himself into helping the streaking Clippers claw their way up the Western Conference standings after their 6-21 start. But after the Clippers dramatically swerved a few weeks ago, everything has changed for the star. 

“It’s a complete turnaround from what I thought we could potentially do,” Leonard said. “Not saying we were contenders. But we thought we could make some noise or mess somebody’s season up.”

Now, all eyes are going to be on Leonard. The Clippers reportedly shot down multiple inquiries about trading him ahead of the deadline. And it remains to be seen whether he’s going to be a part of their rebuild going forward — or if he or the team will change directions.

For Leonard, everything just became much murkier.  

2. Can Darius Garland make impact?

The Clippers flipped the 36-year-old Harden for Garland, who’s 26 and a two-time All-Star. He has a lot of potential upside. And Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he hopes to use him in a similar fashion to a young Kyrie Irving. 

Harden is unquestionably the better player now. But Garland could grow into a star for the Clippers, and he definitely makes them faster and changes their pacing. 

The biggest question around him is his health. 

Garland is still recovering from his surgically repaired toe on his left foot. This season, he has only played 26 games, averaging 18 points on 45% shooting, 6.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds. He was hoping to make his Clippers debut Thursday, but, according to The Athletic, his return will likely be pushed to March. 

3. What’s happening with NBA’s investigation into Clippers allegations?

There has been a shadow hanging over the Clippers’ season after the NBA hired a law firm to investigate allegations that the team circumvented the salary cap by using the company Aspiration to give Leonard a $28 million endorsement deal. 

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and Leonard have all denied any wrongdoing and welcomed the investigations. 

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday the issue remains ongoing. 

“I haven’t come to any decisions whatsoever yet on the Clippers’ matter,” Silver said, adding that it’s “enormously complex.”

“You have a company in bankruptcy,” he said. “You have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that have been needed to be interviewed.”

Silver said that from what he knows, the Clippers have been fully cooperative with the investigation. He added that he’s fully committed to acting upon the findings, whatever they may be. 

“I am completely beholden to the constitution and the CBA,” he said. “I believe in the rule of law.”