The Failure That was the 2023-24 Los Angeles Clippers
The 2023-24 Season and Playoffs
The Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Era is officially over in Los Angeles but how did the Los Angeles Clippers play in their last year with the two future Hall of Famers?
In the 2023-24 NBA season the Los Angeles Clippers were coming off of a first round exit to the Phoenix Suns. But the Los Angeles Clippers still believed that the team they had assembled around Paul Goerge and Kawhi Leonard still had a chance at winning the franchise’s first Championship. But the real question of this upcoming season was can the duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George stay healthy.
Going into that season the Clippers were projected to have a 45-37 record by ESPN, one more win than last year.
The season was under way and the Clippers started their season 3-1. With everything looking good for the franchise the front office decided to make a splash by trading for the former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) James Harden.
As the season progressed the Clippers went through some ups and downs while James Harden adjusted to playing with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and another former MVP Russell Westbrook.
As the season ended the Clippers were on their way to a 51-31 record, finishing 4th place in the Western Conference, and another playoff berth.
The Clippers began their postseason going up against the Dallas Mavericks, a tough match-up but a winnable one too. The Clippers went on to lose the series in six games, but there was a lot of upside from the way players played.
James Harden led the team in scoring, and assists. And Paul George helped in a major way with his 33 point performance in game four of the series.
Sadly the injury bug struck the franchise again when Kawhi Leonard missed four out of the six in the series due to a knee injury.
The Clippers went into the offseason with three questions. How can we add bench depth?, Can we re-sign Paul George and James Harden, and will Kawhi be ready to come back healthy next year?
The Offseason
The Clippers took care of half of one problem very early into the offseason, re-signing James Harden to a two-year $70-million contract extension.
The Clippers and Paul George negotiated a contract extension for weeks, but never came to an agreement. According to George, reported by the Los Angeles Times, he “never wanted to leave L.A.” On his podcast Paul George talked about the negotiations. George said that the Clippers approached him in the fall of the 2023-24 season for an extension worth $60-million over two-years. George thought the offer was “kind of disrespectful.”
Superstar teammate Kawhi Leonard signed a contract extension in January worth $152.3-million over three-years. George went to the front office and asked for the same deal, “Just give me what Kawhi got. …I’m not gonna say I’m worth more than ‘Whi (Leonard). …They didn’t wanna do that.”
George would shut down negotiations for the rest of the season. Then in the offseason the Clippers would offer George a three-year contract extension worth 150 million dollars. George thought the offer was in the ballpark, but he wanted a no-trade clause which the front office said no to.
George then asked for a four-year extension, worth $212-million. On his podcast George said, “Like at least pay me my money.” “If y’all gonna trade me, y’all gonna trade me.
So on June 29 Paul George informed the Clippers he would be optioning out of the final year of his deal to explore other options. A few days later he’d sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Clippers had failed in re-signing Paul George, ending five years of false promises, injuries, and no championship banners for the franchise.
The Clippers now really had to add bench depth, to compensate for the talent that was just lost with Paul George. The Clippers would trade Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz for guard Kris Dunn. The team would add center Mo Bamba, forwards Derrick Jones Jr. and Nicolas Batum, and guard Kevin Porter Jr.
The 2024-25 Clippers will rely heavily on James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard’s health next year. Leonard played in over 60 games last year, the first time since the 2018-19 season. In an interview with ESPN, head coach Ty Lue said that Leonard was reportedly “Feeling good.”
James Harden will assume a higher offensive responsibility this upcoming season to make up for the loss of Paul George.
The Clippers are relying on James Harden to play like it’s the year 2022, and for Kawhi to somehow recapture the magic that was his 2019 self.
The Clippers 2024-25 season projection is 42-40, according to Bleacher Report. The Clippers will have their season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 23.