The Clippers have played 18 games so far this season, going 11-7 for a 61% winning percentage. And they have done all of that without their biggest star, Kawhi Leonard. The star forward and former Finals MVP is nowhere near close to a return this season, and he has officially been declared ineligible for any NBA awards. Leonard’s injury report states he is not close coming back, and that might be a problem for the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard Cannot Win any NBA Award This Season
Per the new NBA rules, any player has to play a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for any awards by the league. By missing 18 of 82 regular season games, Kawhi is officially ineligible to win any award.
Kawhi has officially missed 18 games this season that will put him under the 65-game requirement for a NBA award 🚫🏆 pic.twitter.com/WNY3MTi47O
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 24, 2024
That means he cannot win MVP, make the All-Star team, the All-NBA team, or the All-Defensive team. Kawhi has never won the MVP, with his best chance being several years ago with the San Antonio Spurs.
So far in his career, he has made six All-NBA teams, seven All-Defensive teams, and six All-Star teams.
At the start of the season, the Los Angeles Clippers announced he will be sidelined indefinitely as he is rehabilitating from inflammation in his right knee. The updates on his health have been scarce, and there is no Kawhi Leonard injury report of him practicing with the team yet.
The Secret Sauce to Clippers Win Streak
Recently, James Harden was asked about the Clippers’ secret to winning. Asked about whether the team has something to prove to those doubting their success, Harden bluntly replied,
“We don’t care about outside opinions. We haven’t even thought about like, honestly, like, Kawhi’s gonna be ready when Kawhi’s ready.”
Speaking further, he talked about how they are trying to play harder than other teams. The Clippers know they do not have the most talented roster, so their focus is on working hard. Harden explained,
“We got things that we gotta control and figure out because we’re not as talented as everybody. We gotta focus on every game, like, literally break it down from possession by possession to quarter by quarter like, every increment, we gotta break it down and kinda focus on that. And we can control everything else that happens in our favor.”
Should Kawhi Retire?
Kendrick Perkins floated the idea of Kawhi retiring several weeks ago, but that is not something the Clippers would like. They cannot replace him instantly with another player.
Even if Kawhi retires, the Clippers will face salary cap implications. They gave him a $150 million contract this summer, with an average salary of $49.8 million. The team owes him $49.2 million for this season, and that is dead money they cannot afford to lose if he retires.
The team can ask for cap relief under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but they would have to prove that his retirement is due to a career-ending injury.
And even with that salary cap relief, their payroll for the 2024-25 season remains tight. In other words, they cannot benefit from Kawhi’s retirement. At the same time, he is their most decorated player on the roster, meaning that the team’s marketability depends greatly on Kawhi. The Clippers just moved to their new arena, and so far, Harden and Norman Powell have been playing great and bringing people to the seats. Yet, without a big-name star, that huge arena might feel empty soon.
