L.A. Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will reportedly miss an indefinite amount of time to start the upcoming season at the Intuit Dome.
This is not exactly a surprise for those who have followed the NBA news cycle recently. Leonard missed the 2024 Olympics in Paris due to injury, which raised eyebrows around the league. His recent comments about his teammates after losing Paul George to the 76ers did not paint a picture of perfect chemistry.
With both George and Russell Westbrook no longer on the roster and no splashy replacements, the Clippers may not be very good this year. Bad seasons happen, of course, but there is another reason why that is especially notable.
From previous trades, the Thunder are owed whichever pick is a better one between the Rockets and the Clippers. It has only become more probable that Houston outperforms L.A. this season.
If the Clippers miss the postseason in a competitive Western Conference and their pick is in the lottery, the ping pong balls could bounce in any number of ways.
The worst case scenario for the Clippers is that the pick lands at No. 1 overall and they would have traded the rights away to Oklahoma City.
This comes after the organization already traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and various other tremendously valuable draft capital to the Thunder to land George, who is no longer on the roster.
If that total also now includes the next No. 1 pick, which is likely going to become Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft, it would be unprecedentedly unfortunate for this franchise.
That would add a wildly impactful player to a Thunder team that is already projected to win the Western Conference this season, and is only young and getting better.
