Kawhi Leonard injury could gift-wrap Cooper Flagg to one of Clippers biggest rivals
The L.A. Clippers are reeling from the loss of Kawhi Leonard injury update that will leave him sidelined for an "indefinite period of time to start the NBA season" (according to ESPN). As noted by Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, Leonard's absence could lead the Clippers to "miss the play-in" and land the Thunder a lottery pick.
The Western Conference is so stacked there's a strong chance now that the Clippers miss the play-in. Which would give the Thunder a lottery pick. Which means the Thunder could end up with Cooper Flagg. Just saying. https://t.co/a0IEiXjkf5
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 17, 2024
L.A. is already reeling from the free agency loss of Paul George who left the franchise for the Sixers. The squad was unwilling to commit to a long-term deal with his injury history being the main reason why.
Kawhi Leonard has missed a lot of games in the last couple of years with his injury issues probably dating back to his early 2010s days with San Antonio Spurs. The forward only played two games in the postseason with him missing the majority of their first round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
With the Clippers first round pick belonging to the Thunder, it's clear that the injury news could lead rookie phenom Cooper Flagg towards one of their rivals.
Kawhi Leonard injury could gift-wrap Cooper Flagg to one of Clippers biggest rivals
Honestly, the entire future of the Clippers is not looking good with this recent injury update of Leonard. The franchise owes at least a swap of their first-round pick for the next five years with it either going to the Thunder or 76ers. It's likely Los Angeles will not go into rebuilding mode this season with Steve Ballmer already investing 2 billion into building a new arena in Inglewood, Ca.
While Oklahoma City might end up trading this pick to another team to upgrade their team at the trade deadline, it's clear that this pick could end up being a real boon to the franchise with it becoming a top pick. Just imagine if they could add Cooper Flagg to a team featuring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren? Talk about an embarrassment of riches.
Yes, it's likely that the Clippers will not be at the bottom of the league this season. Still, it's possible that things could get extremely regrettable with the squad struggling in an extremely competitive Western Conference
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