Clippers’ Controversial New “Kawhi Plan” Faces Backlash as Fans and Analysts Question Team’s Strategy for Star Forward’s Future

Los Angeles, CA – The Los Angeles Clippers, once heralded as potential contenders in the Western Conference, are grappling with a harsh reality. With a dismal 5-16 record as of December 2, 2025, and a season spiraling into dysfunction, the franchise is finally confronting a decision they’ve long avoided: whether to trade their star forward, Kawhi Leonard. Amidst a backdrop of injuries, front-office missteps, a salary cap investigation involving their franchise player, and the embarrassing dismissal of veteran Chris Paul during what was meant to be his farewell tour, the Clippers are at a crossroads. Multiple sources, as reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps, suggest it may be time for the team to “get out of the Kawhi business.” But navigating this move is far more complicated than it seems, with significant financial, strategic, and draft pick constraints clouding the path forward.

This feature explores the Clippers’ disastrous 2025-2026 season, the complexities surrounding a potential Kawhi Leonard trade, the historical context of their roster decisions, and the stark choices facing GM Lawrence Frank. With the team on pace for just 22 wins—far below Vegas’ preseason prediction of 50—the question looms: should the Clippers cling to hope for one last playoff run with Leonard, or accept the failure of this era and trade him, even at a fraction of his value, to turn the page?

A Season of Dysfunction: The Clippers’ Collapse

The 2025-2026 season was supposed to mark a turning point for the Los Angeles Clippers. On July 18, 2025, they signed three-time All-Star Bradley Beal, a move analysts predicted would alter the trajectory of the Western Conference. Beal, a former All-NBA player, was seen as a seamless fit at shooting guard following the trade of Norman Powell. Yet, just as owner Steve Ballmer prepared to celebrate, disaster struck: Beal underwent season-ending hip surgery, derailing the team’s plans. What followed was a catastrophic start, with the Clippers winning just 5 of their first 21 games, a far cry from the 50-win expectation set by oddsmakers in Vegas.

The losses are compounded by internal chaos. The team is paying top dollar—$50 million annually to Kawhi Leonard, plus an alleged $40 million to James Harden—to perform worse than tanking teams like the Utah Jazz. Recent games have showcased their struggles, with blown leads and defensive lapses, such as a double-digit comeback loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Off the court, dysfunction reigns: a salary cap investigation involving Leonard and the franchise has tarnished their reputation, and the mid-season dismissal of 40-year-old Chris Paul, a franchise legend, during his supposed farewell tour drew sharp criticism. Paul himself expressed disappointment, stating, “I’m just disappointed… disappointed in the Clippers organization.”

Currently on pace for a mere 22 wins, the Clippers have become the laughingstock of the league, reverting to the “poverty franchise” label long associated with their history. As one analyst quipped, they are the “ugly cousin” of Los Angeles basketball, overshadowed by the Lakers and now facing scrutiny for years of mismanagement. With fans and media alike dragging the front office through the mud, the question of trading Kawhi Leonard has moved from a whisper to a roar.

The Kawhi Leonard Era: A High-Stakes Gamble Gone Wrong

To understand why the Clippers are finally facing the “elephant in the room,” one must revisit the high-stakes gamble that defined their recent history. In 2019, the Clippers sold their soul to open a championship window, acquiring Kawhi Leonard, the reigning Finals MVP, and Paul George, a first-team All-NBA player at the time. The cost was steep—trading away Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a treasure trove of draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder, including an unprotected 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 pick swap. Later, they sent additional picks to Philadelphia, including an unprotected 2028 first and a 2029 pick swap, leaving them without full control of their first-rounders until 2030.

The plan was clear: ride out the Leonard-George-Harden era, survive the draft pick obligations, and pivot in 2027 when significant money came off the books. As one philosopher famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” The 2025 reality is a brutal punch: constant losses, a broken project, and a franchise back to being seen as a league-wide joke. Critics point to Leonard as the linchpin of this failure, noting missed opportunities—like the 2020 bubble collapse when Paul George struggled with mental health challenges—and arguing the team was in a better position pre-Leonard with players like Gilgeous-Alexander. “If they had handed the keys to Shai, what would the Clippers be now?” fans lament on social media.

Despite flashes of brilliance—Leonard’s game-winners and two-way dominance on good nights—the cold math of cap sheets and risk has shifted. Leonard, now in the first year of a $153 million extension signed last year, is viewed by league executives as a negative-value contract, per Windhorst. His history of missing huge chunks of seasons due to injury, combined with the ongoing investigation, makes him a risky asset. As one analyst starkly put it, “Kawhi Leonard is one of the worst free agent signings in NBA history. He has set the Clippers back 10 to 15 years.”

The Trade Conundrum: Why Kawhi Is Nearly Untradeable

The ugly truth facing the Clippers is that Kawhi Leonard is almost impossible to trade under current circumstances. Under the NBA’s new apron rules, teams aren’t lining up to absorb a $50 million annual contract for a player with significant injury history, a peak likely behind him, and potential off-court baggage from the investigation. This isn’t 2019, when the Toronto Raptors bet on a Finals MVP Leonard and won a title with a game-winning shot that “hung in the air” for posterity. It’s 2025, where the question isn’t how much teams will overpay for Leonard, but whether anyone will take him at all without the Clippers attaching additional assets.

“You’re asking another team to take on a massive contract for a player who has missed huge chunks of multiple seasons,” Windhorst noted. The risk outweighs the upside for most franchises, especially contenders wary of salary cap constraints. As one critic remarked, “Kawhi Leonard only gives a damn about Kawhi Leonard… now you’re stuck with him, and you’re 5-16 going absolutely nowhere.” Even on his good nights, when Leonard looks like a two-way monster, the downside looms larger in the eyes of potential suitors.

The Miami Heat have emerged as a rumored destination, with their “Heat Culture” known for reviving distressed assets. Yet, with Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially available soon, even Miami may hold off until the Giannis sweepstakes conclude. Trading James Harden, who has been more available recently and carries a less “radioactive” contract compared to Leonard’s, appears a more feasible option. Harden’s value as a rental for a desperate playoff team still holds appeal, but it doesn’t solve the core issue of Leonard’s albatross deal.

Draft Pick Constraints: No Easy Rebuild Path

Complicating any trade or rebuild strategy is the Clippers’ dire draft pick situation. Due to the 2019 Paul George trade, the Oklahoma City Thunder control the Clippers’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 pick swap—a scenario causing league-wide panic as OKC could land top picks while dominating. Additionally, picks sent to Philadelphia (an unprotected 2028 first and a 2029 pick swap) mean the Clippers don’t fully own a first-rounder until 2030. This eliminates the classic “blow it up, tank, and draft a star” option, as other teams reap the benefits of their losses.

“If they choose to keep Kawhi and try to win, they are spending a fortune on a broken project that is the laughingstock of the league,” one analyst observed. “If they choose to trade Kawhi and go bad, OKC and Philly eat most of the value from your collapse.” The Clippers are stuck choosing between two kinds of pain: financial hemorrhage with a failing roster or a rebuild with no draft upside. This unique bind disincentivizes tanking, forcing the front office to weigh whether maintaining Leonard offers any hope of a turnaround or if trading him—even at 50 cents on the dollar—provides a cleaner break.

Front Office Under Fire: A History of Mismanagement

The Clippers’ front office, led by Lawrence Frank, has faced intense scrutiny for mismanaging this era. Once praised as “smart” with “nice guys” like Frank and Lee Jenkins, they are now criticized for consistent failure. “They lose all the time… screw up Blake Griffin, screw up Chris Paul, screw up everything,” one pundit ranted on a podcast, dismissing media apologists enamored with the front office’s reputation. The offseason transactions of 2025, including the Beal signing that ended in injury, are seen as swinging misses, reinforcing the narrative of incompetence.

The handling of Chris Paul’s departure—sending a 40-year-old franchise legend home mid-season—drew particular ire, with Paul expressing shock and disappointment. Combined with the salary cap investigation involving Leonard and owner Steve Ballmer, the organization’s image has taken a severe hit. Fans and analysts alike call for a “culture change from top to bottom,” questioning whether the current leadership can navigate the team out of this mess.

The Decision: Keep Kawhi or Trade at a Loss?

Put on your GM cap: if you were Lawrence Frank, what would you do? Option one is to bet on Kawhi Leonard, hoping for one last healthy playoff run. Despite his injury history, Leonard can still dominate on good nights, reminiscent of past game-winners and two-way prowess. With Harden as a co-star, a miraculous turnaround isn’t entirely out of reach, though the odds seem slim given the 5-16 start and roster flaws.

Option two is to accept that this era has failed, eat the embarrassment, and trade Leonard for whatever return is possible—even if it’s just 50 cents on the dollar. This move turns the page, potentially freeing up cap space (though likely requiring attached assets to offload his contract) and signaling a shift in direction. However, without draft picks to rebuild, the Clippers risk becoming the “Brooklyn Nets of the West” again, mired in mediocrity with no clear path forward.

The heart of the complication lies in the draft pick obligations. Trading Leonard and tanking benefits OKC and Philadelphia more than LA, while keeping him risks further financial and competitive drain. “At some point, you’ve got to look at your organization… the people in charge have to make a culture change,” one commentator urged. Frank’s decision will shape the franchise’s trajectory for years, balancing fan expectations, financial realities, and the faint hope of salvaging this roster.

Historical Context: A Trade Worse Than Expected

Looking back with revisionist history, some argue the Kawhi Leonard trade and subsequent era may rank among the worst in NBA history, potentially worse than other high-profile missteps like the Dallas Mavericks’ trade for Luka Dončić (which, despite challenges, yielded a superstar). The Clippers’ gamble on Leonard and George cost them Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, now a cornerstone for OKC, and draft capital that haunts them through 2030. Unlike Toronto’s one-year bet on Leonard that paid off with a title, the Clippers’ long-term investment has yielded no championships, only injuries, losses, and dysfunction. “I don’t know where they go from here,” one analyst sighed, encapsulating the bleak outlook.

Conclusion: A Franchise at a Crossroads

The Los Angeles Clippers stand at a pivotal moment, forced to confront the tough decision of trading Kawhi Leonard after a disastrous 5-16 start to the 2025-2026 season. Once envisioned as a deep playoff team, their reality is one of dysfunction, injuries (like Bradley Beal’s season-ending surgery), and off-court controversies (including a salary cap investigation). Leonard, despite flashes of brilliance, is seen as a negative-value contract, nearly untradeable under new apron rules due to his $50 million salary, injury history, and potential peak decline. Trading James Harden offers a simpler path, but doesn’t fully address the core issue.

Compounded by draft pick obligations to OKC and Philadelphia through 2029, the Clippers can’t easily tank, trapped between spending a fortune on a broken project or trading Leonard at a loss with no rebuild upside. GM Lawrence Frank faces an unenviable choice: hope for a miraculous turnaround with Leonard or accept failure and pivot, risking further embarrassment. As the season unfolds, the Clippers’ decision will determine whether they remain the league’s laughingstock or find a way to salvage their future. For fans, the hope is a culture change—top to bottom—that ends this era of disappointment.