Kawhi Leonard has ‘set the Clippers back 10 years’, says former NBA Champion

Kawhi Leonard's injury concerns have only heightened in recent years.

Kawhi Leonard has ‘set the Clippers back 10 years’, says former NBA Champion

Former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins believes Kawhi Leonard has set the Los Angeles Clippers back 10 years

The Los Angeles Clippers have already lost one of their best players in Paul George. Now they are also facing a few key roster changes that could impact how their bench plays next season. Although, they have signed James Harden to a contract and also have Kawhi Leonard as their two main players, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins believes it is time for a change.

While speaking about the state of the Clippers on today’s edition of NBA Today on ESPN, he clarified his stance by saying,

They need to go into a rebuild mode, and if I'm the Clippers, I would consider really trading Kawhi Leonard right now because they're stuck in the middle. Where are they going at this moment? Kawhi Leonard has set them back 10 years. At this point, if I'm the Clippers, I feel like I should consider trading Kawhi and rebuild.
Kendrick Perkins said

He suggested that the Los Angeles Clippers should go into a full rebuild. To initiate that, they should trade away Kawhi Leonard.

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It is an easier than said task considering they are about to move into the Intuit Dome. The arena will need a superstar to bring in fans and revenue. For at least that, they need players like Leonard and James Harden who can realistically take them into the playoffs.

Kendrick Perkins, on the other hand, is sure that neither Leonard nor Harden are capable of leading the team. Instead, the Clippers should take whatever they can find on the trade market and start a new era under head coach Ty Lue.

Kawhi Leonard and his Team USA debacle will hurt

The Los Angeles Clippers playoff hopes stopped in its tracks when Kawhi Leonard left with an injury. Since then, the raging debate has been about his availability. While he seemed to have made a recovery and was on his way to the Olympics, a few practices in, and both he and Team USA knew that his knee would be a bother down the line.

He was excused and returned back home. All that said, this incident might cast a shadow over his legacy. After all, despite winning two NBA titles, his unavailability has been the single largest worry over the past few seasons. First, he decided to go, and then his injury concerns forcing him out might heighten the unavailability tag.

Some who have even called for him to retire or at least get fully healthy before playing a game. If these issues plague his upcoming season, it might be too late to get any value for the 2-time NBA Finals MVP.

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