Are the Los Angeles Clippers headed for a rebuild?
In the 2019 offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers completely reshaped their team.
Coming off a 48-34 season, which was only good enough for eighth in the West, the Clippers managed to take two games off the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
That Clippers team was led by Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams, Danilo Gallinari, Patrick Beverley, and younger players like Landry Shamet, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Ivica Zubac.
In the offseason, the Clippers went in a completely different direction, signing Kawhi Leonard, who had just won Finals MVP with the Toronto Raptors, and trading for Paul George, who had just finished third in MVP voting.
They lost Gilgeous-Alexander and Gallinari in the trade with Oklahoma City for George, but now had two superstars in their prime years.
The team changed seemingly every year since 2019, but Kawhi remained. Despite having talent like Kawhi, George, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and more, the Clippers only made the Conference Finals once during the Kawhi Era.
Window Closed?
The Kawhi Era officially came to an end this offseason as the Clippers traded him to the Toronto Raptors for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and draft compensation.
At the 2025 trade deadline, the team started to go in a different direction as James Harden requested a trade, and he was traded to Cleveland for Darius Garland. The team then dealt Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and what turned out to be the fifth overall pick in the 2026 draft, which was used to select Keaton Wagler.
Though the team got younger, they now lack a true superstar who has led a team in the playoffs.
The window is definitely closed for the time being, but it's not like it was open that wide these past couple of seasons with Kawhi.
The team got off to a 6-21 start with Harden on the team, and though they battled back, Harden still thought it was better to move on than to stay and compete. In the end, they didn't make the playoffs, losing in the first Play-In game.
Moving Forward
Though the championship window is closed for the time being, they are in a better position moving forward.
They got younger, recouped draft capital, and ended up with the fifth overall pick this past draft.
The teams built around Kawhi over the years didn't reach their ultimate goal of winning a championship and didn't even come close in most seasons.
This new team may not make the playoffs or even win a playoff series in the next three seasons, but that puts them in the same spot the Clippers had been in for the last five seasons with Kawhi.
