Concerning Report on Kawhi Leonard's Future With LA Clippers

A new report gives a cloudy future for the Clippers and their superstar.

Feb 2, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue scratches his head after calling a time out as forward Kawhi Leonard (2) walks past in the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

An explosive offseason for the Los Angeles Clippers just got even more interesting.

After a first-round series loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Clippers revamped their roster in an effort to maximize the last prime years of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.

Re-signing James Harden and Nicolas Batum and adding Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal, John Collins, and Chris Paul gave the Clippers one of the best offseasons of any team this summer and one of the best rosters in the NBA.

Clippers' roster has MAJOR depth 🔥

G: James Harden, Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn
F: Kawhi Leonard, John Collins, Derrick Jones Jr., Nic Batum
C: Ivica Zubac, Brook Lopez

They will finish as a __ seed in the West? 👀 pic.twitter.com/Qx8YsnU6PX

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 21, 2025

But, when the bombshell allegations of Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers' involvement in the Aspiration scandal arose, the offseason quickly turned from promising and exciting to dark and confusing.

With an NBA investigation underway, now more reporting has come out that yet again has bad optics for the Clippers.

Are the Clippers Done with Leonard?

A new report from Baxter Holmes of ESPN revealed some new details about the Clippers' thinking regarding the future of Kawhi Leonard.

“Multiple GMs and other league executives said they expect Leonard to play out his contract with the Clippers, which is set to end after the 2026-27 season. But even then, one former staffer said, the organization's focus has shifted. ‘They're done building around [Kawhi],’ he said. ‘They know that and he knows that,'” Holmes wrote.

REPORT: The Clippers have sent signals that they’re maintaining cap flexibility to target Giannis and/or Nikola Jokic in 2027, per @sam_amick.

“The Warriors, who are well aware that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver’s Nikola Jokic both have player options for the… pic.twitter.com/UQVSksFuJl

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 16, 2025

One of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA is that the Clippers are gearing up to have large amounts of cap space in both the 2026 and 2027 offseasons, where they want to take another big swing at a fresh free agent class.

With Leonard's deal expiring around then, it would make sense for Los Angeles to be looking towards ushering in a new era after both Harden and Leonard's deals expire.

The Clippers Grew Weary of Leonard

Kawhi's availability over his tenure with the Clippers has been a strong point of controversy since he joined the team.

In 472 possible regular-season games, Leonard has missed 206 of them, including all the 2021-2022, most of the 2022-2023, and almost every game in the 2023-2024 postseasons.

This is the stuff I have heard from many Clippers fans over the last 6 years that has frustrated them the most.

There have been several instances when the team was misleading or secretive about Kawhi’s health.

The Team USA situation was one of the most notable. In July,… pic.twitter.com/BJVA8Vy2nK

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) September 17, 2025

Baxter Holmes' new report suggests that the Clippers organization had grown frustrated with the lack of availability.

“Leonard entered the 2023-24 season eligible for a contract extension. As the Clippers considered their options, a former team staffer said some within the team had been fatigued by Leonard's injuries and lack of availability. And because of that, the ex-staffer said, the Clippers could wield leverage.

"Leonard had been eligible for a four-year, $220 million max contract, but the team prioritized preserving salary cap flexibility -- especially because of second-apron restrictions -- in part because they were also in extension talks with George," he wrote.

With the season quickly approaching, it certainly is a tumultuous time for the Clippers, but with their stacked roster, they could still be one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

Even with all the allegations and information coming out recently, Leonard is healthy and coming off another great season, so if everything does pass by, can the Clippers still contend for a title?

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