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The Los Angeles Clippers are still sifting through the rubble of their disastrous Game 7 loss vs the Denver Nuggets, in which everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. The game did nothing to quell concerns about James Harden's perceived inability to perform in the biggest moments, as the All-Star had just seven points in the season-ending loss.
The Clippers now face some big questions this offseason about how they want to proceed with an aging roster but an owner in Steve Ballmer who is willing to spend big.
Recently, Clippers insider Law Murray of The Athletic broke down how he sees the Clippers proceeding this offseason, per Hoopshype.
“I just expect James Harden to opt out and get a deal that lines up with Kawhi Leonard,” said Murray, per Yossi Gozlan on YouTube. “And that would make 2027 the big year to really look at something. So I think that’s really their avenue. You’re not paying three stars. You’re not paying a whole lot for the two that you have.”
The Clippers are no strangers to playing the free agency game. Of course, that was how the team initially lured in Leonard during the 2019 offseason in the first place, pairing him with Paul George in a partnership that has since broken up.
A big decision for the Clippers
James Harden surprised many with his play during the 2024-25 regular season, looking more like the prime version of himself and leading the Clippers to a much better record than many pundits were expecting.
Unfortunately, Harden's playoff demons showed up at the worst possible time for the Clippers, as the star managed just seven points in Los Angeles' season-ending loss to the Nuggets in Game 7.
Still, that likely wouldn't signal cause for the Clippers to abandon ship on Harden altogether after he provided a stabilizing presence for them at the point guard spot all season, and did have a few good performances in their playoff run.
In any case, it doesn't appear that the Clippers' brass is looking to pull the plug and rebuild anytime soon.
