With the punishment for Kawhi Leonard’s investigation into cap circumvention with the Clippers made official, it seems to the common eye that the price LA is forced to pay is five first-round picks, $30 million, and lengthy suspensions for Steve Ballmer, Gillian Zucker, and Lawrence Frank.
That’s understandable. However, the expense is much steeper. Dating back to 2019, had Frank not traded the Oklahoma City Thunder five first-round picks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Danilo Gallinari for Paul George, Leonard would’ve never decided to sign with LA over the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors. All in all, everything combined is how much the two-time champion has cost the Clippers.
This is certainly a tough reality to accept, as Leonard is the greatest player to ever lace up in red, white, and blue. He also gave fans worldwide memories they'll never forget.
The LA Clippers’ return on investment regarding Kawhi Leonard is deep in the negatives
If, at the current moment, we were taking a second to reflect on everything Kawhi Leonard made the LA Clippers give up, which bubbles down to ten first-round picks, the face of the NBA, a high-end role player, and millions in fines- but a championship was won at some point in the process- the experiment would still be viewed as a success.
That’s because entering the promised land and winning is the ultimate goal, and even though the Clippers’ future might be doomed for nearly the next decade in terms of draft capital, at least they could say they have a ring to back the losses up. No argument in the book can beat that.
Unfortunately, though, Leonard never played in a playoff series beyond the second round, which was five years ago against the Utah Jazz in 2021, and, well, that’s it.
He gave Clipper Nation tons of game winners, mind-boggling dunks, elite performances on both sides of the ball, and a lot of hope season after season. Still, in the end, the future Hall of Famer doesn’t even have a conference finals appearance to show for it over the course of almost ten years with the franchise.
In simple words, this is embarrassing for LA and for an iconic playoff riser. It ultimately confirms the Clippers’ return on investment is extremely far in the gutter. In all honesty, there is no other way around it, regardless of everything Leonard did for the city.
