The latest injury report on Kawhi Leonard places the Clippers’ $149 million deal choice among the..

Given Kawhi Leonard’s ongoing knee issues and his lack of output during the Los Angeles Clippers’ subsequent playoff run, their decision to offer him a hefty three-year agreement is among the most stupid ones the NBA has seen in a long time.

This season, Kawhi Leonard dressed up 68 times for the Clippers and was able to participate in nearly 70 games for the first time in seven years. The team’s supporters were hopeful that he would ultimately live up to the enormous contracts he was given in 2019, 2021, and now 2023 when it counted most because of his better-than-usual health. Then, shortly before the NBA Playoffs in 2024, another knee injury occurred.
The team’s first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks has been significantly impacted by Leonard’s most recent injury, and Los Angeles supporters shouldn’t hold out hope that he will recover in time for the series’ final four games, according to a new report released on Friday.

After the first game, Leonard said yesterday, “it just didn’t respond the way we wanted it to, but we’re going to get it right.” In a losing effort, Leonard finished Game 2 with 15 points and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes. He played 10 less minutes and finished with just nine points and nine rebounds on Friday night, as the club dropped to a 2-1 disadvantage in the series. Things did not get any better.
The Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s decision to grant him a massive three-year extension may have been one of his worst decisions as team owner, based on his performance thus far in this year’s playoffs.

It made perfect sense for the Clippers to offer Kawhi Leonard a $103 million, three-year contract in the summer of 2019. He was coming off a season in which he played a major role in the Toronto Raptors winning their first and only championship. He had been a part of championships for two teams.

But his body has done everything it could to make that choice disappointing. He has only played 60 or more games in five seasons in Los Angeles, and he missed the all of 2021–2022. Ballmer took a chance in 2021 when he agreed to a four-year, $175 million agreement, but he did so in the hopes that his body would eventually recover and he could help them win a championship, like he did in San Antonio and Toronto. demonstrating the return on investment.

The Clippers were a top team in the west and appeared ready for a lengthy postseason run, so it seemed like this was the year when all the money would be worth it. Then, just before the playoffs, when it meant most, Leonard’s body let him, his team, and their supporters down once more. It demonstrates that, as he approaches his 33rd birthday and is unlikely to experience a miracle improvement in health, this is not a player the team can depend on. There’s no way his knees will get better.

It’s astounding that the organization decided to offer him a three-year deal worth $149 million this season. Worse, Paul George appears to be ready to move on, which makes sense given that he was expecting Kawhi Leonard.

With minimal salary flexibility to field a competitive team in Los Angeles, the Clippers are now tied into this generation’s Amare Stoudemire. Steve Ballmer’s worst ownership choice to date has doomed the Clippers for the ensuing few years.