The Los Angeles Clippers got their fans excited when they brought in Kawhi Leonard from the Toronto Raptors. Back in 2019, the NBA community had high expectations from Leonard, considering he was just coming off a championship win. However, the team was unable to achieve anything in the five years he’s been on the roster. But NBA veteran Kendrick Perkins thinks that doesn’t reflect on him.
Recently on the NBA Today show, the question of who is the greatest player to not win a regular season MVP was posed. At that, Perkins quickly dived in and picked out Kawhi Leonard.
Imma go Kawhi Leonard. Some of the greatest playoff runs in the history of the game. He broke up happy homes. He then made one of the greatest players of all time tap out. And I’m talking about LeBron James, especially when Kawhi was in San Antonio.
Kendrick Perkins said
As stated by him, the Clippers star is the man he’s rolling with. Kendrick Perkins also likened Leonard’s style of play in games to that of the legendary Michael Jordan. He further pointed out that people may have forgotten who Leonard was as a player. Especially given his central role in helping the Raptors win their first-ever championship in franchise history.
However, the recent remark by Perkins comes at a time when the Clippers may be regretting bringing Leonard on board. The two-time NBA champion have struggled with injury issues despite being paid big money. Those injuries even culminated in his withdrawal from Team USA roster ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Kendrick Perkins once suggested that Kawhi Leonard be traded amid injury issues
After the Clippers lost Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers, they were left with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard as their main stars. But Perkins was not impressed with the remaining big names on the roster. He then suggested that the franchise trade the latter.
According to the sports analyst, having the 6-time All-Star in the team has set them back ten years.
They need to go into a rebuild mode, and if I’m the Clippers, I would consider really trading Kawhi Leonard right now because they’re stuck in the middle. Where are they going at this moment? Kawhi Leonard has set them back 10 years.
Kendrick Perkins said
“If I’m the Clippers, I would consider trading Kawhi Leonard right now, because they’re just stuck in the middle.” 😬 @KendrickPerkins says the Clippers should consider a rebuild after losing Paul George 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZR9CyE3ptr
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 16, 2024
While the former veteran is known for his controversial takes, he might have a point there. Every team needs their star player fully fit to have a chance to challenge for the title. Nevertheless, trading the 33-year-old is unwise from a business perspective.
It is worth noting that the Clippers are about to move into the Intuit Dome as their new home. This means they need a superstar to bring in fans and revenue which players like Leonard who can pull in.
