Kawhi Leonard's absence cracks open chance of LA Clippers gifting OKC Thunder Cooper Flagg

Kawhi Leonard’s absence cracks open chance of LA Clippers gifting OKC Thunder Cooper Flagg

Posted by Admin October 17, 2024 NBA

After the LA Clippers played it close to the vest with Kawhi Leonard’s health status, ESPN’s Shams Charania gave the most definitive update since he was shut down from participating with Team USA during the 2024 Olympics.

Leonard will miss an indefinite amount of time when the 2024-25 NBA season tips off in less than a week. He continues to rehabilitate right knee inflammation. When he returns is unknown.

Uh oh.

For obvious reasons, this is awful news for the Clippers. After Paul George’s exit, LA hoped Leonard would enjoy a second straight healthy regular season campaign. He played in 68 games last season, which marked the most in his Clippers tenure. But that health was spoiled in the playoffs when he only suited up for two games in the Clippers’ first-round exit to the Dallas Mavericks.

Leonard has dealt with injuries during his time with the Clippers. He tore his ACL in 2021, which cost him the entire 2021-22 season. He’s struggled to stay healthy since his return. This latest knee injury has plagued Leonard the whole offseason and now leaks to the regular season.

The Clippers already entered this season as a bubble playoff team. Losing George essentially shut down what little space they had left in their championship window. Instead, they pivoted to build around Leonard and James Harden. LA replenished its depth chart with several role players this offseason.

It looks like the Clippers will struggle to see even that vision of the team. Leonard’s absence leaves a black hole in LA. Without him, they are a lottery team. Harden might make up some of the difference, but the 35-year-old is no longer in Houston. He can’t be depended upon to carry an entire offense on his beard.

If the Clippers get off to a rough start, they could quickly see themselves at the bottom of the standings. If that’s the case, there’d be no reason to rush Leonard back and risk worsening the injury. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, LA’s season could already be over.

If this snowballs into the regular season, it’s hard not to note how beneficial the Clippers’ downfall will be for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who enter the season as title contenders. OKC has built one of the league’s best trios in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Two-thirds of that — Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams — were added directly by the Clippers.

As ludicrous as it sounds, the Clippers could gift the Thunder another lottery talent to their stupidly rich young core. The Thunder own swap rights with the Clippers’ 2025 first-round pick. The 2019 Paul George trade is the gift that keeps on giving.

Scrolling through social media, Cooper Flagg has already been mocked to the Thunder. Flagg’s addition to the Thunder would make basketball unfair for the rest of the league. The tongue-in-cheek jokes could turn into reality. But LA doesn’t need to win the 2025 NBA draft lottery to hit the jackpot for OKC. Any lottery pick will be a luxurious addition.

That’s especially the case in the 2025 NBA draft class. It’s projected to be one of the more loaded drafts with several blue-chip prospects. The Thunder could add a real difference-maker to their group.

Unfortunately, Leonard’s body is breaking down, but the writing was on the wall for this timeline. It was a risky gamble the Clippers took where a bottom-10 percentile result happened. Like hitting a hard line drive in baseball, an out is an out — regardless of how gutsy the swing was.