The Los Angeles Clippers made a major move in 2019 by bringing in Kawhi Leonard, hoping he would lead the franchise to its first-ever championship. Despite this bold acquisition, the team felt Leonard lacked enough star power alongside him to truly compete.
In response, they traded for James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of the 2023-24 season. However, even with both stars, the Clippers have now gone six consecutive seasons without making a deep playoff run, still searching for their first NBA or conference title.
Their postseason dreams came to a halt once again as the Denver Nuggets dealt them a heavy 120-101 loss at Ball Arena. The defeat sparked uncertainty about the futures of both Leonard and Harden, especially after Harden exited without speaking to the media.
Despite the setback, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue voiced support for keeping both Leonard and Harden. In the postgame press conference, Lue praised their efforts and also expressed hope for their future with the Clippers.
“I mean, just encouraging, I think, James having to carry such a heavy load, with Kawhi missing, I think 45 games. And just having to carry that load all season long. And he did a great job with that,” Lue said.
"Those two together for a whole season, I think would be tremendous."
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 4, 2025
Ty Lue on the possibility of running back the Harden-Kawhi duo for another season pic.twitter.com/y1kYXk4y91
“And I think Kawhi, like I said, coming back being Kawhi and having a confidence in his knee that he can play more minutes. He can get through these games. And those two together for a whole season, I think would be tremendous,” he added.
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Cameras Caught Kawhi Leonard’s Angry Look During Game 7 Loss
After battling injuries, Kawhi Leonard made his return this season. After his return, for the first time since 2020, Leonard finished out an entire season without being sidelined by injury. But heartbreak struck once again, as the Clippers were eliminated in seven games by the Nuggets.
The Game 7 loss carried extra emotion for Leonard. During the fourth quarter, cameras caught him sitting on the bench with a rare expression of visible anger and frustration. It was perhaps the most animated Kawhi has ever appeared in his NBA career.
Never seen Kawhi Leonard so angry until this moment of raw emotion pic.twitter.com/OGXqXBxwMK
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) May 4, 2025
Leonard gave everything he had this season, especially in the first round of the playoffs. In Game 7, he led the Clippers with 22 points, along with five rebounds and two assists. He averaged 25.0 points per game while grabbing 7.6 rebounds and dishing out 4.7 assists in the playoff series.
