LA Clippers Reportedly 'Done Building Around Kawhi Leonard' After Recent Drama

Over the past few years, it's easy to say that the Kawhi Leonard tenure in Los Angeles has been fairly disappointing, with the team struggling to go deep in the postseason after signing the star forward. This offseason, things got even worse when Pablo Torre revealed a report that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer may have been paying Leonard under the table to circumvent the salary cap.

While there's a chance that the NBA doesn't end up punishing Ballmer, Leonard, or the Clippers, it has changed the players' perception around the league, as well as within the organization.

Now, a report from ESPN's Baxter Holmes has revealed that an organizational shift is underway, with the team set to shift their focus away from Leonard.  

“Multiple GMs and other league executives said they expect Leonard to play out his contract with the Clippers, which is set to end after the 2026-27 season. But even then, one former staffer said, the organization's focus has shifted. ‘They're done building around Kawhi.'

‘They know that and he knows that.’”

Logically, that means the team will likely pivot to the veteran core they've now created alongside Ivica Zubac, James Harden, and Bradley Beal, and with young names like John Collins joining the team, there's plenty of talent there.

If this is indeed the way forward for the Clippers, it brings an end to a very exciting but disappointing era in franchise history, but with some talented names remaining, there's still a chance this team can be great moving forward.