The Los Angeles Clippers are as soon as once more staring into uncomfortable territory, and this time, the warning indicators are louder than ever. In response to Kevin O’Connor, the poor season begin in Los Angeles might ultimately push both James Harden or Kawhi Leonard to ask out.
I simply surprise how lengthy this ugliness can go on earlier than Harden or Kawhi asks out. Harden particularly. Taking part in at this stage at age 36, he can’t waste this yr. In order dangerous as it’s for the Clippers, it may possibly in some way get even worse. https://t.co/iNwLjYTAGv
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) November 30, 2025
That risk alone is sufficient to ship shockwaves by means of the franchise. However when positioned into the broader context of the Clippers’ season, it begins to really feel much less like hypothesis and extra like a looming crossroads.
Kevin O’Connor’s warning shouldn’t be ignored
O’Connor’s remark cuts straight to the core of the Clippers’ drawback. Harden is taking part in at an elite stage at age 36, and seasons like this are finite. For a veteran star, losing a yr on a group caught in impartial is usually the ultimate straw.
Whereas Harden was the main focus of O’Connor’s comment, Kawhi Leonard looms simply as massive on this dialog. The Clippers have constructed the whole lot round his well being and availability. If the group can not capitalize whereas he’s taking part in at a excessive stage, the stress to rethink the whole undertaking intensifies rapidly.
Kawhi’s 55-point evening modified the tone – however not the stakes
Kawhi Leonard’s 55-point efficiency in opposition to the Detroit Pistons was one of many defining moments of the Clippers’ season. It was a reminder of how dominant he nonetheless is when wholesome. The postgame celebration, with teammates pouring water over him, regarded like a gaggle rediscovering perception.
On the similar time, that efficiency sharpened the stakes. A wholesome Kawhi taking part in like a famous person both carries the Clippers towards the playoffs – or dramatically will increase his worth on the commerce market. There may be little or no center floor.
The following 20 video games will resolve the whole lot for the Clippers
With roughly 20 video games remaining till the NBA commerce deadline, the mathematics is straightforward. If the Clippers can win round 13 or 14 of these video games, pushing themselves firmly into the playoff image, a star commerce is nearly actually off the desk. Even 12 wins often is the naked minimal wanted to maintain the entrance workplace dedicated to the present core.
In the event that they fall wanting that mark, the dialog adjustments quick. At that time, buying and selling Kawhi Leonard would not sign panic—it will sign realism. From a front-office perspective, shifting a famous person at peak worth might be the neatest transfer when a season slips away. They may want a rebuild, additionally contemplating the league’s investigations into Kawhi, which hurt the Clippers.
For now, the Clippers are nonetheless selecting optimism. Kawhi’s physique language, his on-court dominance, and the group’s response counsel perception remains to be alive. However as O’Connor warned, time is operating out. The Clippers both win now or watch commerce rumors flip into an unavoidable actuality.
