Back in the 2019 off-season, the Los Angeles Clippers made some big moves by signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George. In the first season with the star duo, the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead and lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2nd round of the playoffs. The Clippers have also not looked good in the playoffs so far against the Dallas Mavericks. If the Clippers are a first-round exit, it will make fans question if the Clippers never traded for Paul George and had a Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers team better.

The Clippers gave up a lot to acquire George, and the pieces they gave away could have helped the Leonard-led Clippers. They traded away rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and veteran scorer Danilo Gallinari along with five 1st round picks and the option of two pick swaps. Leonard has shown the ability to win without a second star as he won a championship with the Toronto Raptors without a co-star.

All Leonard needs to have a winning roster is solid role players around him. Leonard had borderline stars around him with the Raptors, which is what Gilgeous-Alexander and Gallinari would have provided for the Clippers. Those players could have had a similar impact on Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam proved Leonard on his championship run with the Raptors. If Leonard had players like these on the current Clippers roster, they might have gone farther in the playoffs.

Why a Kawhi Leonard-led Clippers team would be better

While George is a star in the league, the role players can help Leonard be a better player. He showed with the Raptors that he works super well without a costar and allows a solid role player to play off him. Leonard has the ability to be the only star on a team and lead them to a championship if he has a solid roster around him. George takes a lot of shots which can take away from Leonard's game. Leonard can create high-level shots for himself and allow role players to run an offense to get open shots. With George, there will be stretches where Leonard isn't downing much on the offensive end due to George's isolation plays.

Leonard is one of the best players in the league, but the pairing with George has not worked out. Although we will likely never truly know what a Clippers team without George would be like, it is a trade the Clippers may regret for a long time.

Paul George's extension brings questions to Kawhi's future

George signed a five-year extension with the Clippers, which will keep on the roster for years to come. On the other hand, Leonard has a player option this summer and could leave the team in free agency. It may be a smart decision for Leonard to leave the Clippers after the season as the team's future is not looking good. The star duo has not worked out, and it would be in the best interest of Leonard to leave the team.

Leonard could join a team with the right pieces around him to get back to the level he was at on the Raptors. Whatever the decision may be in the off-season, it seems clear that a Leonard-led Clippers team would be better than the duo with George.

Look for a potential split-up of the star duo in the off-season after failed seasons towards championship aspirations.