The Los Angeles Clippers are off to a rough start in the 2025-26 NBA season, and that’s putting it lightly. Sitting at 5-15, this is a team that won 50 games just last year - a squad that brought back most of its core, including Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and now James Harden. So how did a team with championship aspirations find itself near the bottom of the standings heading into December?
Let’s start with the obvious: Kawhi Leonard’s availability. As has been the story for much of his career, Leonard has been in and out of the lineup.
That’s not exactly a shocker at this point, but when your team is built around a player who can’t consistently be on the floor, the margin for error shrinks fast. Still, the Clippers knew what they were signing up for.
The bigger issue may be the decisions being made behind the scenes.
Former All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins recently weighed in on FanDuel’s Run It Back show, and he didn’t hold back. Cousins pointed the finger at Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, saying, “He’s the decision maker that continues to change this team around every single year; they get worse and worse… it’s just not working.”
That criticism hits harder when you look at the moves made this past offseason. Frank was praised by some fans for acquiring John Collins, a versatile forward who was expected to bolster the frontcourt.
But that deal came at a cost - Norman Powell was sent to the Miami Heat, and he’s not just thriving in South Beach, he’s arguably playing the best basketball of his career. At 30-plus, Powell has found another gear, and the Clippers are feeling the loss.
Then there’s the looming shadow of the team’s unprotected 2026 first-round pick, which is headed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. If the Clippers continue to spiral, that pick could turn into a franchise-altering asset - just not for them. For a team that mortgaged its future to win now, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
Amid the chaos, one player has quietly been doing his part: James Harden. Say what you will about his fit or long-term future in L.A., but Harden has been playing some of his best basketball in recent memory.
He’s been efficient, engaged, and has taken on a leadership role in a locker room that desperately needs one. The question now is whether the Clippers should consider moving him while his value is high.
With the team’s asset cupboard nearly bare, Harden might be the only trade chip that could fetch a meaningful return.
The Clippers are about to head out on their second East Coast road trip of the season, and their next test comes Friday night against - you guessed it - Norman Powell and the Miami Heat. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
ET in South Beach. It’s the kind of matchup that could either spark a turnaround or deepen the crisis.
One thing’s for sure: something’s got to give.