“Kawhi Leonard Will Demand a Trade”: Skip Bayless Says There’s No Coming Back For The Clippers After Hurting The Klaw

Another post-season ends with the LA Clippers not being able to have a look at the Larry O’Brien Trophy. When Steve Ballmer went ahead with the decision of teaming up Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in 2019, he would not have imagined them to not take his team to the NBA Finals in four years even once.

However, it’s 2023 both of them are one of the highest earners in the league who sat on the bench with knee injuries and saw their team get out of the first round.

Apart from their first year together, at least one of them missed the team’s elimination game/series in all the Playoffs(2)/Play-in(1). And so, there were already rumors that Ballmer might decide to blow the team up and start from scratch.

Then there are other rumors that suggest either Leonard or George or both of them will request a trade come the off-season. Skip Bayless believes The Klaw will.

Skip Bayless suggests Kawhi Leonard is going to request a trade

One of the biggest admirers and a big San Antonio Spurs fan, Skip Bayless believes the former FMVP with the Spurs is leaving the Clippers in the summer or mid-season (February 2024).

The veteran analyst supported his claim by bringing up the fact that once a team hurts Leonard in some way, they never get back on his good books.

“Next year (2024-25), he [Kawhi Leonard] will have a player option. So, it’s possible he will demand a trade next season (2023-24) or ahead of next season’s trade deadline,” Bayless said on the latest episode of The Skip Bayless Show.

Where do the Clippers actually stand?

The air around Clippers wanting to move on from the duo cleared their President of Basketball Operations, Lawrence Frank, said the following.

Whatever happens, the next year cannot be a ‘championship or bust’ season for this duo if they decide to run it back. It has to be a championship or at least a hard-fought loss in the NBA Finals.