Heading into the 2020s, the Los Angeles Clippers seemed destined to finally break the franchise’s long-standing “curse.” Years of bad luck, injuries, and disappointing seasons appeared to be over when L.A. signed then-Toronto superstar Kawhi Leonard and traded for another in Paul George.
A franchise that had never advanced past the second round suddenly looked like it was ready to compete with the NBA’s best for years to come.
But now, the Clippers are anything but a contender. L.A. enters this weekend with a 6-21 record, tied for 13th in the Western Conference. They don’t have their own first-round pick, and the team’s future looks as bleak as ever. Amid all of that, there’s a scandal surrounding how the Clippers acquired Leonard in the first place.
Where did it all go wrong?
The Offseason Splash
The 2018-19 season marked an actual turning point for a team that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin had led for most of the 2010s. That year’s team won 48 games. It was led by scoring wings in Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari, a productive sixth man in Montrezl Harrell, and a future MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
L.A. in 2019 lost in the first round, but it would go “all in” during the summer. Leonard was coming off leading the Raptors to a championship over Golden State. George had just delivered an MVP-caliber season with Oklahoma City.
Pairing the two made perfect sense. A superstar duo that could take the Clippers from making the playoffs to reaching the NBA Finals.
However, bringing in both players came at a high cost.
Leonard signed a three-year, over $100 million contract, then inked another three-year, $150+ million deal in 2024. For George, his deal was worth four years and $136 million. As part of the sign-and-trade, L.A. also has a treasure chest of assets. The complete list includes four unprotected firsts and SGA.
All that said, the Clippers seemed primed to be a team that needed to be beaten in the West. However, it never quite materialized.
Years of Falling Short
A battle between the two teams from the City of Angels seemed like it was about to unfold in the NBA playoff bubble in Orlando.
The Clippers finished the 2019-20 season with a 49-23 record and defeated Dallas in six games. The Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, topped the conference and eliminated Portland and Houston, both in five games.
However, the Clippers never made it to the Conference Finals. A shocking collapse saw L.A. blow a 3-1 lead to Denver in the bubble. L.A. had both Leonard and George in their prime, along with plenty of depth, but even that wasn’t enough to fend off the unlikely comeback.
At the time, 2019-20 was still a good year in the Leonard era. The window of contention hadn’t closed just yet. It would definitely stay open, but 2019-20 was also one of only two years when L.A. fans could say, “This was our year.”
The other was 2021. With Leonard sidelined with injury, L.A. finally overcame its demons and reached the Conference Finals, getting within two games of facing Milwaukee in the Finals. Almost half a decade later, it turns out that 2021 was the closest L.A. ever got to the NBA’s top.
The Clippers missed the playoffs in 2022 but stayed relevant, making it to the playoffs for three straight years, with L.A. winning at least 50 games in 2023 and 2024. During that stretch, the Clippers traded George and acquired another MVP, James Harden.
Still, it didn’t improve the team’s fortunes. In all three seasons, the Clippers never reached the second round. Today, L.A. is on pace for its worst year since 2008-09, when it only won 19 games.
Where Did It All Go Wrong?
In no particular order, the reasons why L.A. repeatedly fell short are these:
- Injuries: Over seven seasons, Leonard played only 283 games. Excluding the two COVID-affected years, he missed all of 2021-22 and played more than one game just once (2023-24). In 2024-25, he appeared in only 37 games. When a franchise’s best player is unavailable, there are clear consequences.
- Misfortune: Had Leonard been healthy, L.A. would likely have had a straightforward path to at least the Finals in 2021, a year when Phoenix and Milwaukee faced off. Some believe the Clippers were the NBA’s best team that year. In 2020, the bubble clearly impacted the team’s performance. It’s easy to dwell on “what-ifs,” but if the season had gone normally, would the results have differed?
- The cupboards are empty: In a league where depth has become increasingly important, the Clippers had Leonard and George, then added Harden. Every franchise needs its top players, but the supporting cast must be just as strong. By trading for two stars, L.A. didn’t look far ahead at where the league was headed—paying 2-3 superstars massive salaries—since it’s no longer as certain that this guarantees a team’s success.
This season, the question again arises: Is this finally the Clippers’ year?
Instead, the Clippers are heading into a “doomsday scenario”: no draft picks for the next decade, no immediate fixes, aging superstars, tied-up cap space, and possible fallout from the NBA’s ongoing investigation into the team.
One year, it will be the Clippers’ time to shine. But as history shows, that time will have to wait once again.
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