Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard has played in fewer than 60 games in four of the last five seasons.
However, he played in 68 regular season games in 2023-24, his highest total since 2016-17. In the end, it didn’t matter. Leonard missed the final eight games of the 2023-24 regular season due inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. He then played in just two postseason games, a significant factor in the Clippers’ first round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
This didn’t stop L.A. from offering Leonard a three-year, $153 million contract extension in January.
“We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Kawhi,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said in a statement (per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk). “He is an elite player, a terrific partner and a relentless worker who knows how to win and makes it his first priority. He elevated our franchise from the moment he arrived. We feel fortunate that Kawhi chose to join the Clippers five years ago, and excited to keep building with him.”
Now signed through 2026-27, the Clippers likely have that long to win a championship. That is, unless they sign another perennial All-Star.
Clippers’ Ty Lue Provides Kawhi Leonard Injury Update
When Leonard was named to USA Basketball’s roster ahead of the Paris Olympics, it was a layered announcement.
On the surface, Team USA had added one of the league’s best players. A six-time All-Star, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Leonard’s arguably the best two-way player in the NBA healthy. They didn’t necessarily need him, but the decision to give him one of 12 spots underscores his talent.
Leonard’s arrival was also seen as a testament to his health. As he last played on Apr. 26, that would’ve meant he needed three months to recover. While that’s not exactly the shortest time frame, it wouldn’t alleviated some concern about his future durability.
Yet, Leonard exited Team USA’s training camp in early July due to concerns about his knee. It’s unfortunate for Leonard, who seemed to want to play and would’ve won his first Olympic medal, gold or otherwise. With that being said, the 33-year-old is expected to be healthy in time for training camp.
“I speak to him all the time,” Lue tells Youngmisuk (in a separate piece). “He’ll be ready for [Clippers] training camp. He’s feeling good and I know he’ll be ready for training camp.”
With Paul George leaving in the offseason, this is perhaps the most important training camp of the Clippers’ Kawhi era. Former MVP James Harden is set to return. As George and Russell Westbrook now off the roster, he may return to his old scoring ways. L.A. also has Norman Powell and Kevin Porter Jr., who have both averaged a career-high of at least 19.0 points per game. Nonetheless, the Clippers enter 2024-25 with more questions than ever.
The main one —how many games Leonard will be able to play —is the most constant.
