The Clippers dramatically changed course earlier in February by trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac in an attempt to get younger and clear salary cap space in hopes of landing a top free agent in 2027.

Kawhi Leonard is now the last-standing star on the team after Paul George left in free agency in the summer of 2024 and Harden wanted out so he could join the contending Cavaliers.

It’s a whiplash-inducing change for a Clippers team that had gone on a recent 17-5 run, becoming the NBA’s hottest team before the trade deadline.

The Clippers are in 10th place in the Western Conference at 26-28. Here are the three biggest storylines for them in their final 28 games of the regular season:

Leonard is finally healthy and playing at an elite level. Entering this season, he had missed 226 regular-season games since he joined the Clippers in free agency in 2019, as well as multiple playoff series.

But recently, Kawhi looked like Kawhi again.

He’s averaging a career-high 27.9 points a game and is leading the league in steals (2.1). During one of the All-Star Games on Sunday, he had 31 points in 12 minutes on 11-for-13 shooting from the field and 6-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc, including making a game-winning stepback 3-pointer with four seconds left.

Heading into the final stretch of the season, Leonard thought he’d be pouring himself into helping the streaking Clippers claw their way up the Western Conference standings after their 6-21 start. But after the Clippers dramatically swerved a few weeks ago, everything has changed for the star.

“It’s a complete turnaround from what I thought we could potentially do,” Leonard said. “Not saying we were contenders. But we thought we could make some noise or mess somebody’s season up.”

Now, all eyes are going to be on Leonard. The Clippersreportedly shot down multiple inquiries about trading himahead of the deadline. And it remains to be seen whether he’s going to be a part of their rebuild going forward — or if he or the team will change directions.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos