"He set them back 10 years" - Former NBA champion calls out Kawhi Leonard for Clippers' championship woes
Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was on the receiving end of some criticism today from Kendrick Perkins. On Tuesday's segment of NBA Today on ESPN, Perkins put the blame on Leonard for the Clippers' struggles in recent years. The comments come on the heels of Perkins suggesting earlier this month that Leonard should request a trade out of LA after the loss of Paul George.
With Paul George now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, and reports indicating that Russell Westbrook is likely the next one to go, Perkins believes that Steve Ballmer's team is a sinking ship.
As he explained, if he was a member of the Clippers' front office, he would consider trading Kawhi Leonard because of how far back he's set the Clippers organization.
Although the two-time NBA champ has shown flashes of brilliance when healthy, he's only played in 60 or more games once since joining the Clippers. During that time, the team has also failed to make the deep playoff push many had hoped for.
Given that, Perkins thinks its time for drastic measures in LA, starting with a serious conversation about Leonard's future with the team:
"I think Steve Ballmer, he needs to have an evaluation, right? You have Ty Lue. You just signed him to a contract extension. He's there for the long haul. They have to really sit down and have a come to Jesus meeting and say, which direction are we going in?
"And it's damn sure not winning the championship. ... Where are they going at this moment? Kawhi Leonard has set them back ten years, ever since he arrived and put on a Clipper uniform."
Looking at Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers' offseason so far, and the season ahead
Heading into this offseason, the LA Clippers made it clear that their focus was on resigning Paul George and bolstering their roster ahead of the opening of the Intuit Dome.
Despite that, the Clippers and George were unable to reach an agreement on an extension, leading to the longtime NBA vet signing a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
At the same time, Russell Westbrook also notably oped into the final year of his deal, however, since then, reports have continued to indicate that Westbrook is likely to be traded before the start of the season.
In the case of Kawhi Leonard, while he only played two games during the 2023-24 playoffs, he was prepared to play for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics. After participating in the Team USA training camp, Leonard was scratched from the roster prior to the start of Team USA's Olympic warmup games.
At the time, reports indicated that the Clippers made the decision in conjunction with Team USA to prioritize the season ahead for the Clippers. Whether or not he's able to stay healthy enough to lead the team to a title, only time will tell.