When the Los Angeles Clippers open the 2024-2025 regular season on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns, they won’t have their best player on the floor. At the moment, no one knows when Kawhi Leonard will return.
Leonard is sidelined ‘indefinitely’ with inflammation in his right knee, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Leonard played only two games in the playoffs last season with the same injury as the Clippers were eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks. He was supposed to be on USA Basketball’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but was sent home during training camp because the program didn’t think he was healthy.
Leonard has been hampered by injuries throughout his career dating back to his time with the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard’s injury problems, starting with a sprained ankle and then right thigh tendinopathy, eventually cleared the way for him to be traded to the Toronto Raptors. In his one season with the team, Leonard led the Raptors to the NBA championship and was named NBA Finals MVP.
Leonard signed with the Clippers in free agency the following season, and has consistently been in and out of the lineup with injuries. He tore his ACL in his right knee during the 2021 playoffs, and missed all of the following season recovering. His 2023 playoff run was interrupted by a torn meniscus in his right knee.
The Clippers lost Paul George over the offseason as he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. James Harden is the Clippers’ team leader, and he has his work cut out for him.
The Clippers can’t even tank, because they owe the Oklahoma City Thunder their unprotected 2025 first-round pick in the original George trade. The Thunder are loaded, and now suddenly could find themselves in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. There are a lot of other good players in the 2025 draft class, too.
Read our first 2025 NBA mock draft here. Check out our feature on Flagg here.
