NBA Rumors: Anonymous executive believes Kawhi Leonard, Paul George won't fetch value for LA Clippers
Five-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard came up short once again in taking the Clippers to a deep playoff run as they ended up going home early in the first-round series against the Phoenix Suns.
With one conference finals appearance during the 2021 playoffs being the farthest this Clippers team has gone to in the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George era, the team's upper management have some options to consider moving forward.
According to a Heavy Sports article written by Steve Bulpett, an anoymous NBA executive does not see any possible value out there in the league's market for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
“They’re not going to get value for those guys (Leonard, George) in any sort of deals," one anonymous NBA executive said. "They just miss too many games, and that’s ruined the culture. Not knowing from night to night if you’re going to have PG or Kawhi just killed them. They’ve got some really good character guys on their team, but the culture is bad.”
Leonard started off on a promising note before sustaining a sprained right knee injury in Game 2. In the two games he played against the Suns, Kawhi Leonard averaged a dominant statline of 34.5 points on 54.5% shooting, including 60.0% from 3-point range along with 6.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
In the regular season, the Clippers' star managed to play 52 games as he was under heavy load management due to his troubled history of injuries throughout his career.
As the Clippers main stars cannot be trusted health-wise, it does create long-term concerns due to the team constantly struggling to reach the NBA Finals, considering the amount of talent that they have.
Another rebuild does sound a lot of work after the amount of money spent in acquiring all of their assets with little to nothing return gained. But it is a route the Clippers can look to if they decide to move on from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Kawhi Leonard's time with the LA Clippers
Leonard has played in three seaons and missed one season with the LA Clippers due to the ACL injury he sustained in the 2021 playoffs.
In the three seasons that he was available to play, he averaged 25.3 points on 49.6% shooting, including 39.6% from 3-point range along with 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
During his first postseason run with the team, they were in a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets but ended up dropping the last three games as they found themselves getting eliminated in the second round.
In the following potseason, Leonard and the Clippers were able to make amends for a disappointing finish in the 2020 playoffs as they were able to reach the 2021 Conference finals against the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, he injured his ACL and ended up being sidelined as the Clippers lost in six games.
After another disappointing finish due to injuries hampering their full potential, the Clippers get bounced out in the first round in the 2023 postseason and has resulted in numerous speculations regarding Kawhi Leonard's future with the team.