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The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in a spot that nobody would have predicted for them in the first round of the NBA Playoffs: trailing 2-0. Even the most optimistic of Dallas Mavericks fans would've hedged on taking a 1-1 split back to Dallas as a best case scenario. Yet, Luka Doncic and company will head back home with a commanding 2-0 lead.
Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers aren't doomed, they still have an opportunity to climb out of this hole. This isn't your No. 1 seed leading a No. 8 seed two games to none type series. It's a No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup with the Clippers actually being the favorite coming into the series.
If Los Angeles is able to right the wrongs, good on them for not folding up and mailing it in. If they aren't and the Mavericks cruise to a round one victory, it could cast a light of uncertainty surrounding Kawhi's future with the Clippers.
Leonard has a player option in his contract that he will almost certainly utilize after this season regardless of what happens the rest of the way for the Clippers. There's money to be had if he opts out, and it would be the financially correct thing to do for Kawhi.
While ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski stated before the playoffs he believes Kawhi will be back with the Clippers, he did note an early playoff exit could shift the theory.
And why wouldn't it? This is a Clippers team with legitimate title aspirations that flopped last year in the playoffs against the Nuggets after having a 3-1 lead and are off to a horrendous start this postseason deep in the hole against Dallas.
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It would be one thing if the Clippers came up short in the NBA Finals or even the Western Conference Finals. But to fall flat on their face in back-to-back years in round two and round one, respectively, would have to give Leonard at least second thoughts on running it back again.
His relationship with the organization and head coach Tyronn Lue seem steady, but another flounder in the playoffs could open up an array of options. Again, getting bounced in the playoffs is demoralizing regardless of the stage it happens at, but when it happens can have an influence on future decisions.
If you get close to the mountain top, you know your team is close and a small adjustment or two away. If you get run over in round one in a 4 vs. 5 matchup, that's a different story.
Kawhi's future of talk there of it is premature in nature to some extent, especially considering the Clippers are still in the midst of a postseason push. But the topic becomes more prevalent as the light on LA's season starts to dim down more and more at a stage where nobody would expect them to bow out.
The Clippers sense of urgency is at a high point after losing back-to-back home games to the Mavericks. There's time to flip the script but if they don't, the consequences could loom large in the form of Kawhi Leonard's future with the franchise.
