The Kawhi Leonard era is over, and the goal in Los Angeles is a fight for the play-in rather than a banner.
The Los Angeles Clippers are about to find out what life after forward Kawhi Leonard looks like, and the honest answer starts with a smaller goal than this franchise has chased in years.
Leonard was officially traded back to Toronto for forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick and multiple draft picks, closing a seven-year run that never produced the title Los Angeles paid for.
The organization also enters the season under the penalties from the league's cap circumvention ruling, so the question of what counts as a good year deserves a straight answer.
What This Roster Actually Is
The new core has plenty of scoring and a lot of questions up front.
Point guard Darius Garland, acquired from Cleveland in the trade that sent guard James Harden out, pairs with Ingram as the offense's engine, and a jump from Ingram would change the team's ceiling more than any other single thing.
Rookie guard Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 overall pick, gives the franchise its most important development project in a decade, while 38-year-old center Brook Lopez fronts a frontcourt rotation that is still being sorted.
The context is heavy, since the NBA stripped the team of five first-round picks, fined it $30 million and suspended owner Steve Ballmer for a year in early September.
A franchise that cannot restock through the draft has to grow the young players it already has.
It is a strange spot for an organization that spent seven years pushing every chip toward a title, and it will take some getting used to.
The Front Office Has Not Lowered Its Own Bar
Whatever outsiders expect, the stated aim inside the building has stayed the same.
NBA insider Jake Fischer said on Bleacher Report's Insider Notebook that the front office never wavered from that plan this offseason.
"All I know right now is that all summer long and through today the Clippers have been focused on building out a playoff caliber team for this season."
The club has been open about its postseason aspirations, and there is some basis for it, because this group finished 42-40 a year ago despite a 6-21 start before falling to Golden State in the Play-In Tournament.
The Realistic Range
A fair projection lands in the play-in neighborhood, somewhere around ninth to eleventh in a Western Conference that got deeper again this summer.
Garland and Ingram are good enough to win the games a team should win, and Tyronn Lue kept last season's group competitive through far worse circumstances.
Expecting a top-six seed asks too much of a team that just traded its best player and cannot buy depth mistakes back with future picks.
This season should be judged on progress.
If Wagler looks like a keeper, Ingram plays like an All-Star and the team is still fighting for a spot in April, the year will have done its job.
Anything more would be a bonus, and pretending otherwise would only repeat the inflated expectations this franchise finally left behind.
