As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Apparently, that also applies to things that were so-so at times and, overall, a disappointing display of futility. That might be a bit harsh, but that’s how some would describe the four-year experiment of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in Los Angeles with the Clippers. Now it seems the Clippers might have seen enough and could be willing to part ways with George.
There was so much expectation for the Kawhi-PG duo once assembled in the summer of 2019, following Leonard’s championship tour in Toronto. Both players were viewed as being in their prime, and most were projecting title runs for the Clippers over the next few years. Here we are four years later, and this dynamic duo has advanced to just one Western Conference Finals in which Leonard couldn’t even participate due to an injury.
Whenever the tandem of Leonard and George are split up, the keyword used to describe their era in LA will be availability. Or a lack thereof. During their time with the Clippers, it’s been a tale of load management or legit injuries that have plagued the Clippers’ stars. Leonard played in 52 games this past season, while George appeared in 56. The previous year, PG played 31 games, and Leonard missed the entire campaign rehabbing a torn ACL.
Leonard and George are magnificent if you can get them on the court together for a considerable amount of time. Over the four years in LA when Kawhi and PG suit up for the Clippers, they’ve won nearly 68 percent of their games. Collectively the Clippers have put together an impressive supporting cast around their stars but have yet to reap the full benefits of assembling such a squad.
At this point, it doesn’t look like we’ll ever get a complete run start to finish out of this Clippers team, and that’s really a shame. So much promise in the beginning quickly went south, and they’ve never really recovered. Nothing is set in stone yet, as the Clippers are only testing the waters, and considering a George trade, but it wouldn’t be shocking if they decided to move forward.
The fact that George’s value on the trade market is higher than Leonad’s after four years is quite telling. Leonard, when healthy, is still a great player and probably among the top 10 in the NBA, but his availability is a crapshoot. A two-time champion and Finals MVP, Kawhi is one of the best two-way players the association has seen in the past 30 years. But whenever you have to add, “when he’s healthy,” therein lies the problem.
Injuries are part of this whole equation, and they happen all over the sports world. But there’s no way Steve Ballmer envisioned this scenario when they put these two stars together four years ago. Ballmer may never admit it, but buyer’s remorse is real. If the reports of PG potentially going on the trade block are true, that’s exactly what we’re witnessing in the City of Angels.