LOS ANGELES — LA Clippers All-Star ahead Kawhi Leonard wasn’t prepared to debate his future with the crew after Wednesday night time’s season-ending loss to the Golden State Warriors as he heads into the ultimate season of his contract.
“Let me cry about this loss a bit of bit extra,” Leonard mentioned when requested whether or not he may see a future with the Clippers, who moved All-Star guard James Harden and younger heart Ivica Zubac in February trades that left many questioning in the event that they had been embarking on a rebuild. “We’ll have our discussions when that point comes.”
Leonard is eligible, beginning on the day after the NBA Finals, to increase his contract for 2 further seasons. In accordance with ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the utmost the Clippers can supply is $126.1 million over the 2 seasons.
However the Clippers did not fall off after these trades, changing into the primary crew in NBA historical past to complete the season 15 video games over .500 after being 15 video games underneath .500 at an earlier level of their season. LA went 36-19 to shut the common season — fourth greatest within the Western Convention throughout that span — after opening 6-21.
That begin included a messy breakup with franchise legend Chris Paul, who was unceremoniously despatched residence from a highway journey and later traded to Toronto in what was speculated to have been a retirement tour together with his former crew.
Paul ultimately retired after the Raptors launched him.
The episode with Paul was the nadir of a season that started on the fallacious foot earlier than it even began, because the crew was embroiled in a scandal over an endorsement deal Leonard signed with a now-bankrupt former crew sponsor, Aspiration.
Podcaster Pablo Torre reported earlier than the season that former Aspiration workers mentioned they believed Leonard’s endorsement was a approach for the Clippers to bypass the wage cap.
The NBA launched an ongoing investigation into Leonard’s take care of Aspiration in September.
Requested Wednesday night time whether or not he knew the standing of that investigation and the way vital a decision could be for him, Leonard mentioned:
“I by no means considered it an excessive amount of apart from questions requested. You may must ask the NBA, not me. I am not the one doing the investigation. … I believe we will be within the clear. I am not stressing it.”
The season-ending loss to the Warriors was noteworthy for an additional purpose. In February, the Warriors had been among the many groups that known as the Clippers to inquire about Leonard’s availability after the Harden commerce, in line with a number of sources. Although these talks fizzled, there’s an expectation they might be revisited within the offseason, sources mentioned.
If this was Leonard’s ultimate season in Los Angeles, it was an ideal one. He averaged essentially the most factors per sport in his profession (27.9) and completed within the high 10 in area objective proportion, 2-point proportion and 3-point proportion. The Clippers had been a plus-7.8 factors per 100 possessions when he was on the courtroom and a minus-6.9 when he was off. Extra vital, Leonard performed in 66 video games, his second most because the 2016-17 season.
Wednesday night time illustrated simply how a lot the Clippers might want to add to the roster in the event that they select to construct their crew round him once more this summer time because the Warriors primarily devoted their defensive sport plan to make it tough for Leonard to attain or have an effect on the sport. Leonard completed with 21 factors however had just one made shot over the ultimate 16 minutes. He additionally had 5 turnovers within the second half, his most in any half since 2019.
In accordance with ESPN Insights, Warriors ahead Draymond Inexperienced defended Leonard for 51 half-court matchups, most by any participant in a sport this season, and held Leonard to 9 factors on eight photographs on these matchups.
“Draymond Inexperienced, Corridor of Fame defender,” Leonard mentioned. “It was laborious to even get photographs up.”
