What Does This Season Mean For the Clippers?
The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the best teams in the regular season this season. However, to cap off the season, they appeared to tank against both the Rockets and Thunder in order to avoid the Lakers in the first or second round. That decision has led to them to now being in a tough series against the Dallas Mavericks, a team in which they could have legitimately lost to last year, had Kristaps Porzingis not gotten injured in Game 3 of that series.
This time around, the Mavericks took the first two games in the series before the Clippers bounced back and evened up the series. With game five taking place on Wednesday, June 2nd in LA, the Clippers could conceivably find themselves down 3-2 by the end of the night.
If they do not manage to win the series, what could that mean for the future of the franchise?
I think it could possibly mean that Kawhi Leonard is gone this offseason if they do not make a deep run in the playoffs this year. Following the season, Leonard has the option to opt-out of his contract with the Clippers if he chooses.
The path to the NBA Finals is clear for the Clippers. They got the matchup that they wanted in the first round, they will play the Jazz or Grizzlies in the second round, two teams no one thinks can realistically contend, and then they will most likely have to go through a hobbled Lakers team in the Western Conference Finals. The only team that would be acceptable for them to lose to in the West is the Lakers if we can even consider it acceptable at all.
If they lose before getting at least to the Western Conference Finals, this will have been the second straight year of championship expectations, with arguably the best roster in the NBA, that has fallen short of the conference finals. I do not see why Leonard would return to this team, especially if his goal is to contend for a championship.
Reports are that the Miami Heat are one of the teams that will recruit Leonard this summer if he does become available.
The Heat just got swept in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks so Leonard probably does not make see it as a better situation than Los Angeles.
However, Golden State could also potentially be in the market for Leonard as well. That could be an intriguing spot because when Klay Thompson comes back from his injury, their core could potentially be Leonard, Thompson, Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. The Warriors played at a 48-win pace when Curry was available this season and often with little help around him, so the five of those players could be in the hunt for a title immediately if they manage to pull off a sign and trade for Leonard.
The play of Paul George, AKA Playoff P, will be most vital to Leonard staying this summer.
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Last year, Leonard had to carry the Clippers frequently throughout the playoffs. A big reason for that is that his partner in crime did not perform up to his standard level of play. So, if Kawhi had a bad game, George was not able to pick up the slack and lift the team to victory in key moments, such as Game 7 against the Nuggets.
According to George’s own admission, he was battling depression while playing in the bubble during that playoff series. This year, George has said that he is in a better state of mind, which means there are no excuses to have a bad postseason once again.
When Leonard was originally recruited to the Clippers, he wanted another star player there to join him, and if George cannot be that guy, there is no reason for Leonard to stay. So, George cannot be throwing up 4-16 in a critical game or hitting the side of the backboard again or it could be a quick and disappointing end to the Clipper’s new era of basketball.
