Lawrence Frank speaks on the future of Kawhi Leonard.
The Los Angeles Clippers' season came to a disappointing end as they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the nine vs. ten play-in game.
The Clippers had home court advantage in the game, but failed to stop Steph Curry or get past Draymond Green down the stretch.
It was the first time since 2021-22 that they have failed to make the playoffs. They have been eliminated in the first round in each of the past three seasons.
Though Kawhi Leonard had one of his most efficient and effective seasons in history, one that will likely put him on an All-NBA team, he failed to impact the Warriors' game in the fourth quarter for his squad.
Lawrence Frank Speaks On Kawhi's Future
After the game, rumors swirled regarding the future of the Clippers' superstar. The Warriors reportedly pursued him in February and will reportedly pursue him again in the offseason.
Kawhi is set to enter the final year of his contract.
Speaking to reporters after their season came to an end Clippers executive Lawrence Frank was asked about the future of Kawhi.
“Our plan is to win with Kawhi. ... At the appropriate time, we’ll sit down with Kawhi and, very similar to 2024, lay out our plan and if our goals are aligned, then we’d like to win with Kawhi," he said.
In January 2024, Kawhi signed a three-year extension with the Clippers. The deal was fully guaranteed with no player option. Kawhi originally signed with the Clippers as a free agent in 2019, fresh off winning an NBA Championship and being named Finals MVP with the Toronto Raptors.
He signed a new deal in 2021 and once again in 2024.
The Clippers With Kawhi
Signing Kawhi led to big expectations for the team, given Kawhi's success with the Raptors, and even previously with the San Antonio Spurs.
Expectations were only higher when signing Kawhi came hand-in-hand with trading for Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Since then, they have made the Western Conference Finals just once and won a total of three playoff series, both of which came in the first two seasons. Injuries to Kawhi and George stunted the trajectory of the team, though the team tried to continue to retool, most notably in trading for James Harden and adding Russell Westbrook in previous years.
Kawhi is the last one standing from the group, as Westbrook and George left in free agency 2024 and Harden was traded this past February.