The Los Angeles Clippers might be one of the few franchises consistently good at making the playoffs — but they seemingly forget how to perform once they get there. Whether it's blowing multiple 3–1 series leads or failing to realize Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s value before trading him, the Clippers are still a team searching for answers they don’t seem to have.
After suffering a brutal 120–101 Game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles finds itself staring down a third straight first-round exit. Despite a Norman Powell scoring surge, Kawhi Leonard progressing well, and Tyronn Lue coaching better than ever, Clippers fans are left asking the same question:
What’s next for the Clippers?
According to Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, retaining James Harden is the front office’s “first priority” this offseason, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Harden, 35, holds a $36.3 million player option but can opt out and become an unrestricted free agent.
Harden was underwhelming in Game 7, scoring just seven points on 25 percent shooting across eight attempts. Hoping to shake his reputation for disappearing in elimination games, he vanished again when the Clippers needed him most. While the 15-year veteran averaged 22.8 points and 8.7 assists across 79 regular-season games, the postseason ended with familiar disappointment.
Running it back with Harden feels like a sign of complacency. He can still facilitate and generate offense, but if he can’t deliver in critical moments, his value may be better suited elsewhere.
To make matters more uncertain, Frank also stated that the team plans to build around both Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Leonard, who appeared in just 37 regular-season games, had his 2024–25 campaign delayed due to lingering offseason injuries. When healthy, he remained a consistent force, averaging 25.0 points and 7.6 rebounds on 53.7 percent shooting.
“There’s another level for him out there that he’s going to get to next year,” Frank said, per The Associated Press. “I think looking at next year that we can be better with more games from Kawhi.”
Keeping Leonard on the roster is a double-edged sword. When he’s on the floor, he resembles the dominant two-way player of the past. But he hasn’t played more than 70 games in a season since 2017, has made just one Western Conference Finals appearance in five years, and still requires regular rest on back-to-backs.
The Clippers are currently the oldest team in the NBA, and building around two aging stars is a risky bet with limited upside. They've unearthed valuable contributors in Ivica Zubac, Derrick Jones Jr., and Kris Dunn, but replicating that success won’t be easy.
The question isn’t when L.A. will find production — but from whom?