The Clippers Just Lost Their Future. Can They Still Build a Winner
The Los Angeles Clippers have spent the last several years trying to build a championship team around Kawhi Leonard. That strategy produced the most successful period in franchise history, including the Clippers' first Western Conference Finals appearance in 2021. It also left the organization with a complicated future, and the NBA's punishment for its handling of the Kawhi situation has made that future considerably more difficult. The Clippers were fined $30 million, Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker received suspensions, and Kawhi Leonard was fined $700,000. The most significant part of the punishment for the basketball operation came through the draft, with the NBA eliminating five first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 and placing the organization under a five-year compliance and monitoring program. That changes the conversation around the Clippers. The organization still has players, some draft assets and financial flexibility...