Kawhi Leonard has struggled along with his well being all through his tenure with the L.A. Clippers. He was not too long ago despatched house from Workforce USA’s coaching camp as he continues to take care of a persistent knee drawback. Leonard signed a three-year, $152.4M contract extension towards the top of final season.
Throughout a current look on ESPN’s “NBA At present,” former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins urged the Clippers ought to commerce Leonard.
“I believe Steve Ballmer, he must have an analysis, proper?” Perkins stated. “You might have Ty Lue; you simply signed him to a contract extension; he is there for the lengthy haul … They want to enter a rebuild mode. If I have been the Clippers, I might actually take into account buying and selling Kawhi Leonard. As a result of they’re caught within the center proper now … Kawhi Leonard has set them again 10 years … If I am the Clippers, I really feel like I ought to take into account buying and selling Kawhi and rebuilding.”
When wholesome, Leonard is likely one of the most gifted gamers within the NBA. He is elite on either side of the court docket. Nonetheless, his health has been a significant issue since he arrived in Los Angeles. If the Clippers cannot depend on him to be wholesome when it counts, they need to actually check the marketplace for Leonard’s providers across the NBA.
Ballmer has accomplished every thing he can to uplift the Clippers group. They transfer into the Intuit Dome for the upcoming marketing campaign. As such, they’ll lastly cease sharing an area with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Clippers followers would undoubtedly just like the opening years of their tenure in Inglewood to be aggressive. Nonetheless, if the sensible transfer is to start tearing the roster down and rebuilding from the bottom up, the entrance workplace should discover that avenue.
Proper now, Leonard’s well being is instantly tied to the Clippers’ probabilities of success. That is not a sustainable enterprise mannequin for the franchise, and it is unfair to place that kind of weight on Leonard’s shoulders.
Perkins could have a degree. Maybe Leonard’s time with the Clippers has run its course.