Fire Everyone! Should The LA Clippers Blow It Up?

At 5–12, the LA Clippers are not off to the start that they had hoped for and are facing a familiar situation, as they have in previous years. Kawhi Leonard has managed just seven games, interspersed between being sidelined again with ankle issues. Bradley Beal is done for the season, and James Harden, despite his immense scoring talent, can only do so much. 

So what is the Clippers' best move?

Blowing it up makes sense on paper. Leonard has been constantly on the sidelines more than he has been on the court. And to acquire Harden and former Clipper Paul George, they mortgaged their future, handing out draft picks like Halloween candy. But it wasn’t just draft capital that the team gave up; it was also giving up on a young guard by the name of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last season’s all-everything MVP. Without any draft picks in the cupboard, tanking wouldn’t even help them rebuild properly, which is unfortunate with a loaded 2026 draft class.

If the Clippers were to go the trade route, the question is, what’s the market for an aging, injury-prone Leonard with a massive contract? Who’s willing to give up valuable assets for a 36-year-old Harden? Leonard has $50 million coming to him next season, and Harden has a $42 million player option, which he is unlikely to turn down. This leaves the team trapped between mediocrity and nowhere.

Last summer, the team brought in veterans Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, and John Collins to add depth and experience. Paul is set to retire at the end of the season, while Lopez and Collins will likely be dangled as trade bait to contending teams at the trade deadline. With rumors that the Sacramento Kings are dangling DeMar DeRozan, Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank, who is reported to be on the hot seat, might as well go all in on this season, adding yet another veteran to an aging lineup. 

Frank's front office team, which includes General Manager Trent Redden and Senior VP/Assistant GM Mark Hughes, both promoted in 2023, has been remarkably stable despite the team's playoff disappointments. Head coach Ty Lue, who signed a five-year, $70 million contract extension in May 2024, has led the Clippers to four consecutive winning seasons but hasn't won a playoff series since 2021. While Lue is currently not on the hot seat, questions are emerging about how long that will last, given the team's underwhelming start and the fifth-worst defensive rating in the league, a shocking decline for a team that featured the third-best defense last season.

The challenge for both Frank and Lue is that they've built their reputations on getting the most out of star-laden rosters. But with Leonard perpetually injured and the roster aging rapidly, even elite coaching can only accomplish so much. The Clippers hired veteran coach Jeff Van Gundy as lead assistant coach and defensive coordinator last season, yet the defense has cratered rather than improved.

With neither the luxury of a clean rebuild nor the pieces for a legitimate championship run, the Clippers are stuck in a gray area. Rather than let Steve Ballmer's $2 billion Intuit Dome sit half-empty and turn away fans by selling off name-brand players for a bunch of no-names, the Clippers can at best hope that Leonard finds sustained health for the back half of the season, helping the team make a play-in push. From there, they'll bank on the slim chance that playoff experience and veteran savvy can carry them further than expectations suggest.