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Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Clippers are in the playoff picture in the Western Conference, star forward Kawhi Leonard doesn’t view the Clippers as legitimate title contenders, and he doesn’t think they can reach that level this season.
“I think it’s over now,” Leonard said of the Clippers’ ability to turn into a contender. “It’s a fourth of the season left. But every day is a day to grow. A day to learn and get better. So just gotta keep looking over time and see in two weeks if we’re getting better and see what happens from there.”
No one really viewed the Clippers as legitimate contenders at this point in the season anyway, but it’s still surprising to hear a star player be so blunt and honest about a team that is technically still alive in the playoff hunt.
Leonard was disappointed in the organization’s decision to be sellers at the trade deadline instead of buyers, and his current feelings about L.A.’s roster likely stem from that.
The Clippers traded key contributors James Harden and Ivica Zubac earlier this month despite the fact that that the team had been playing some of the best basketball in the league since the calendar flipped to 2026.
“I thought we were tracking well the last six weeks. Everybody has human nature. It's a complete turnaround from what I thought we could potentially do,” Leonard said a couple weeks back. “Not saying we were contenders, but we thought we could make some noise or mess someone's season up. Now the tides changed. We'll get back into it, hopefully after All-Star."
Leonard is clearly disillusioned with the Clippers at this point in time, and if the star player feels that way, you can't blame fans for feeling similarly. If the best player doesn't view the team as a legitimate contender, why would fans?
Leonard is obviously going to finish out the current campaign with the Clippers, but when the season comes to an end, expect the conversation to turn to his future with the franchise.
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