What's Next for Clippers After the Official End of Kawhi Leonard Era?

The seemingly never-ending Kawhi Leonard saga has finally come to an end on Monday. The LA Clippers and the Raptors finalized the trade sending Kawhi back to Toronto that was agreed upon over two months ago.

Now that the Clippers' punishment has been handed down, Steve Ballmer has accepted the penalties, Leonard is no longer in LA, and the roster is essentially set for the season, what's next for the franchise?

The Clippers are entering a new post-Kawhi Leonard era. It looks like Ballmer, Lawrence Frank, and Ty Lue will all keep their jobs for the time being. If we know one thing is that trio will do whatever they can to stay as competitive as possible.

The front office has signaled a lack of desire to bottom out and rebuild after they first agreed to trade Leonard. Since then, however, the Clippers have lost five future first-round picks, making it very difficult to build a contender in the short run.

There is an argument to be made for the Clippers to sell off their valuable veterans to recoup some of their lost draft assets. Parting ways with players like Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn would make the Clippers worse in the immediate term, but could help them add a few draft picks.

Should the Clippers Try to Trade Brandon Ingram and Darius Garland?

The same goes for Brandon Ingram and Darius Garland. When they first announced the Kawhi trade, it seemed like the Clippers would see what they had in the Ingram-Garland pairing. They could potentially compete for a Play-In spot, and that seemed like a reasonable goal in Year 1 of the post-Kawhi era.

Should the Clippers be more open to trading Garland and Ingram now? Trying to get as many future assets, including young players and draft picks, to pair with the No. 5 overall pick, Keaton Wagler, makes a lot of sense for the Clippers.

But that sounds more like a pivot for the trade deadline or the next offseason. At this point, there is very little time until the start of the season, and the front office shakeup stemming from the suspensions makes it difficult for the Clippers to make any major moves.

Depending on how the season goes, however, we could see a fire sale. Especially if Ingram and Garland get off to strong starts, but the Clippers still don't look like a playoff team, it may make sense to sell high on the former All-Stars at the trade deadline.

What's Next for Ty Lue?

Another big question is what happens with Ty Lue. He is one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA and is under contract through the 2028-29 season. He has also never coached a below .500 team in his career.

Whether he will last the duration of his contract or try to coach a contender will be an interesting storyline. One has to imagine that he will be one of the most sought-after coaches in the league if he were available.

Unless Ballmer and the Clippers have their come-to-Jesus moment following the league's punishment, they will likely continue to try to stay competitive. Only if and when it becomes obvious that they won't be a playoff team over the next few years, the Clippers may choose to step back and build for the future.

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