The Kawhi Leonard era was another massive flop in Clippers history

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The Kawhi Leonard era was another massive flop in Clippers history

Bailey Bassett, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Jun 30, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The Los Angeles Clippers are arguably the worst franchise in NBA history. Their career .428 winning percentage is the third worst mark in the league, they have zero championship wins, and they've been known to regularly select draft busts. The Clippers have oftentimes been near the bottom of the standings throughout their history, which began in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves. Failures followed when they relocated to San Diego to become the Clippers in 1978, and there have been some really bad years since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1984, despite the fact that LA is one of the biggest markets in sports and also features the most prestigious team in the NBA in the same city.

The team's extended troubles were supposed to end with the arrival of Kawhi Leonard , though. The team signed Leonard in 2019, fresh off his winning an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors . With him came a trade for Paul George , who had just finished top three in MVP voting. Former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook eventually joined the core, too.

Despite all of this talent, a championship never came to the Clippers organization. Leonard was just traded back to the Raptors, which officially put a cap on what was another failed era of Clippers basketball. So, what went wrong?

The Kawhi Leonard era was a flop for the Clippers

When Leonard and George paired up, Clippers and basketball fans alike had no choice but to assume championships would follow. Leonard was already a two-time NBA Finals MVP who had proven he could win at the top level as a number one option. Plus, he was established as one of the best defensive players of all time . George's two-way prowess was evident, too, so it was believed the Clippers would excel on both sides of the court.

The duo made it to the conference semifinals in their first season together, but they gave up a 3-1 comeback in the second round that cost them their championship dreams. They improved to make the Western Conference Finals the following year, but again, they fell short of the title series. The Clippers have not won another playoff series since.

Conversations regarding Los Angeles' problems start and end with injury issues. Leonard only twice played more than 60 games with the Clippers, and he missed the entirety if the 2021-22 season. Even worse, the injury bug tended to bite at the worst time. The Klaw missed all of the aforementioned Western Conference Finals series because of an ACL tear, and knee issues held him out of action in the 2024 postseason, too. George had his fair share of injury woes, too. He only once played more than 60 games with the Clippers, and the two stars often alternated time in street clothes.

While Leonard was always great when on the court, inconstant play often plagued George in the biggest moments, which led to him receiving the nickname Pandemic P. Harden had a previous MVP, but he couldn't save the franchise. The same could be said for Westbrook. Off-the-court issues even cast a shadow over the team. Namely, Leonard was involved in a salary cap circumvention controversy this past year, and it became the focus of the Clippers' season despite the fact that Leonard was having arguably his best production in years.

Nobody is left from the core of that featured Leonard. George, Westbrook, Harden, Ivica Zubac , and Leonard himself were all let go via free agency or the trade market. The Clippers have received some draft picks and intriguing players in return, but nothing like what they gave up for George, who was acquired after the team traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , five first-round picks, and two pick swaps.

The Clippers were filled with talent and won a fair amount of games. With the team trading Leonard away, though, his era can officially be marked as a failure. The Leonard-led Clippers will be remembered for untimely injuries, failures in the clutch, and falling short of championship expectations.

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