It’s hard to argue with the notion that the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard in 2019 destroyed the LA Clippers franchise.
As if sacrificing future superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a haul of draft assets for Paul George — Leonard’s requested co-star — wasn’t costly enough, the Clippers were later stripped of five additional first-round picks for illegally circumventing the salary cap to benefit Leonard. To boot, the trade did irreparable damage to their culture.
While Leonard has moved on to greener pastures with the Toronto Raptors, the Clippers are left holding the bag, facing a very bleak future.
Kawhi Leonard Apologizes to Clippers?
Perhaps Leonard feels like he owes an apology to the Clippers and their fans?
On Friday, he made a rare post on social media, thanking Clippers fans for their “unwavering support” during his six-year stint with the franchise. However, if one reads between the lines, it sounds like he’s also issuing an apologize to to the fanbase.
“I truly appreciate your unwavering support during both the highs and lows. Thank you, Clip Nation. ✋🏾”
There were definitely more lows than highs during his tenure with the Clippers.
After choking a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 playoffs, it felt like Leonard and the Clippers never recovered. They made a deep run in 2021, reaching the West Finals for the first time in franchise history, but Leonard suffered an untimely, season-ending ACL injury during the second-round series against the Utah Jazz. Paul George and Co. were then simply not good enough to bring the Clippers close to an elusive title.
In subsequent years, Leoanrd’s injury woes persisted, as he appeared in a grand total of 11 playoff games between 2022-23 and 2024-25. He missed the entire 2021-22 season recovering from an ACL injury. All in all, Leonard played only 342 games and missed 204 (a a ~37.4% absence rate) out of a maximum 546 regular-season games. By every conceivable metric, his run with the Clippers was an unmitigated disaster.
Kawhi Leonard Destroys Clippers Franchise
Leonard may win some goodwill with LA Clippers fans for his “thank you” post. However, scores of former players, analysts and fans feel that the two-time Finals MVP can do or say nothing anymore to fix the mess he created in Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently called Leonard “a gangster” for the way he conducted himself with the Clippers.
“For him to cause all the trouble that he’s caused for this organization and to walk away with nothing more than having to surrender $700,000 worth of restitution is a crime,” Smith said, referring to the fact that Clippers were fined $30M for the same scandal.
“Kawhi Leonard … he’s a gangster.”
NBA vet Danilo Gallinari, who was part of the trade that brought Paul George to the Clippers, accused Leonard of derailing his career.
“He changed the trajectory of my career and put me in a difficult situation by sending me away from Los Angeles,” Gallinari said recently.
“He should pay all $50 million, not just $700,000.”
Leonard and his new team, the Toronto Raptors, are seemingly ready to move past the saga. “The Klaw” is reportedly fully healthy to report to training camp in a few weeks.
Kawhi Leonard Sends Message to Clippers After ‘Destroying’ Franchise