Kawhi Leonard’s run with the Clippers is approaching the point where the ending matters less than the wreckage it leaves behind. What was supposed to be the signature move of the franchise’s modern era has instead become a story defined by injuries, disappointment, and now the Aspiration scandal hanging over everything.
That’s why the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke went all the way there, calling Leonard the worst free-agent signing in Los Angeles sports history.
“Seven years later, Leonard has abused an organization, alienated a fan base and basically collected nearly $300 million of Steve Ballmer’s money and burned it.
“Seven years later, he has been injured, apathetic, entitled, disconnected and generally nothing but a pain in the backside for a reenergized franchise that deserved so much better.
“As the Clippers stare down another offseason Leonard dilemma - he’s in the middle of this Aspiration mess and in the final year of his contract - one thing is clear.
“Kawhi Leonard was the worst free-agent signing in Los Angeles sports history.”
Plaschke didn’t stop there. He stacked Leonard up against a long list of other disappointing names and said he was lamer than Anthony Rendon, more disheartening than Jason Schmidt, more frustrating than Allen Robinson, and an even bigger joke than Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng.
Those Mozgov and Deng contracts came from the Lakers in 2016, when Mozgov got four years and $64 million and Deng landed four years and $72 million. That’s the level of company Plaschke is putting Leonard in - and then some.
The Clippers got Leonard in 2019 after he hit free agency following the Raptors’ championship run. The Lakers had also been in the mix, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis already in place as they looked to build a Big 3. But Leonard chose the Clippers, and there was a catch: he reportedly wanted Paul George brought in too.
The Clippers made that happen, sending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and a heavy package of draft capital to the Thunder. At the time, it didn’t look disastrous. It does now.
Gilgeous-Alexander has since turned into a two-time MVP and helped the Thunder win the championship in 2025. Two of the picks the Clippers moved also became Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace. Williams made the All-NBA Third Team in 2025, and Wallace is now considered one of the league’s top defenders.
Meanwhile, the Clippers kept chasing the title that never came. Leonard and George missed huge chunks of time, and the team never got the payoff it was after. George is gone now anyway, having left for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2024.
Plaschke also blasted the way Leonard handled himself once he arrived, describing a star who put his own interests first under the influence of his uncle, Dennis Robertson.
“From the moment he joined the team, under the direction of his powerful uncle Dennis Robertson, Leonard made it clear that this was all about Kawhi, his needs, his demands, his team.
“He wanted the Clippers to hire some members of his support staff. He wanted to skip media obligations and community events.
He didn’t want to live in Los Angeles, instead commuting from San Diego County. And he didn’t want the Clippers to follow the NBA’s transparency rules involving injuries.
They were basically told to never talk about Leonard’s nagging injuries.”
Leonard’s numbers in 2025-26 were still strong - 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game - but Plaschke’s criticism is aimed far beyond the box score. He called Leonard a selfish basketball mercenary who took advantage of a desperate franchise and was supposed to deliver the Clippers their first NBA title.
Then came the Aspiration mess in 2025. The allegation was that the Clippers tried to get around the salary cap by paying Leonard $28 million through the now-bankrupt environmental company. Both sides denied it, but the investigation continues.
Leonard has played only 331 of a possible 554 regular-season games for the Clippers, and Plaschke said he hopes the team trades him this summer. Leonard is reportedly open to a return to either the Raptors or the San Antonio Spurs, leaving the Clippers with another major offseason decision and a franchise-defining problem still very much unresolved.
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