PLAYA VISTA — The season didn’t end the way it started for the Clippers this season. The optimism and championship talk that welcomed the new season eroded with each loss and every injury to their stars, leaving the team contemplating what’s next sooner than expected.
After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank started looking ahead to how the team can improve its roster and reach its expectations and it all begins with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Frank addressed the media Thursday in a postseason session that touched on a wide range of subjects, from injuries to their two biggest stars, whether the team will try to re-sign Russell Westbrook and what it will take to be one of the top-seeded teams going into next season’s playoffs.
For starters, Leonard is expected to be healthy and ready to start the 2023-24 season, Frank said, after the two-time NBA Finals MVP suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during their series-opening win against the Phoenix Suns. He said the team learned the extent of the injury after viewing MRI results following their Game 2 loss. Frank said the surgically repaired anterior cruciate ligament Leonard tore during the 2021 playoffs remains intact and that he will be ready for next year, regardless of what treatment is needed for the meniscus injury. Rest or surgery are among a wide range of treatments for the common injury.
“It’s agonizing not to be able to help your team, and he was pushing all the limits and boundaries to try to be ready to play,” Frank said of Leonard, a two-time NBA Finals MVP. “He was going to be on the fastest of fast tracks to get back and help us.”
George, too, was working to be ready if the Clippers had advanced to the second round. He had been sidelined since March 21 because of a right knee sprain, but his projected date to be medically cleared is May 6 and he will be ready to go when training camp starts in the fall.
“Injuries suck, but they happen,” Frank said. “And for Kawhi and PG, for everything they put into their bodies to be healthy at this time and to be injured, it’s devastating for them. They’re agonized, it’s painful. But I feel for our fans who’ve been there every step of the way and for Steve (Ballmer, owner) who’s given us all the resources to try to achieve our goal each, and every year, which is to win a championship. So that’s hard.”
Injuries aside, Frank hinted at possible contract extensions for both. Leonard and George are set to earn more than $45 million each next season with a player option year, in essence expiring contracts. Should the two decline player options, they would be eligible to enter free agency in 2024.
“We want to keep them as Clippers for a long time,” Frank said. “So, we’ll look forward to those conversations.”
Frank said he was impressed with the way Westbrook adapted to being the third option behind Leonard and George, then became the on-court leader during the playoffs.
Westbrook, 34, signed a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum in late February after being traded by the Lakers to the Utah Jazz, who then waived the future Hall of Fame point guard. A free agent for the first time in his career, Westbrook said he will explore his options after he averaged 23.6 points and 7.6 assists in the Clippers’ five postseason games.
“We want to bring Russell back,” Frank said. “I give him a ton of credit. You love when guys get second chances and just knock it out of the park. You guys get to see what he brings on the floor, but he brings a great energy and spirit every single day to the team, around the building, and it’s good because it filled something that we needed.
“He embodies what a Clipper is. He’s tough, he’s reliable, he competes every night, and he’s about all the right stuff.”
Frank reiterated his support for Coach Tyronn Lue and said he will be back for a fifth season.
“Why wouldn’t he be back? Of course, he’s back,” Frank said. “Ty’s a terrific coach, and we’re excited to have him as our coach.”
Frank said the roster could see changes once he evaluates the players’ strengths.
The Clippers finished fifth in the Western Conference at 44-38. They went 33-19 in games with Leonard and 24-14 in games when both Leonard and George played.
“What I don’t want to do is to have the injuries or how hard we fought in the postseason to mask a disappointing regular season,” Lawrence said. “We have to get back to honoring and respecting the regular season. We have to compete harder, more consistently and we have to earn it.”
History has shown that NBA championship teams are more likely to have finished the regular season as one of the top three seeds in their respective conferences. The Clippers finished this season as the No. 5 seed, and moving up is a priority next season which could mean roster moves.
“You have to have a very open mind and be creative about ways we can get the team better,” Frank said. “You have a series of truth-telling. We don’t try to fool ourselves and try to figure out, okay, how can we get this team better?
“I’m optimistic that we will get better, both internally and what the different possibilities are outside of our team.”
Many of the team’s younger players – Terance Mann, Ivica Zubac, Bones Hyland, Brandon Boston Jr. and Amir Coffey are expected to remain. Frank also said he hopes to keep Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee, both free agents.
Others, such as veterans Robert Covington, Marcus Morris Sr. and Nicolas Batum could be on the trade block.
A lot of the Clippers’ moves could depend on the new CBA, which states that teams that go beyond the second tax apron will not be able to use the taxpayer mid-level exception to add a player or receive more money in a trade than the money they spent. Frank didn’t seem worried.
“We’re blessed to have a chairman (Ballmer) who’s all in to try to capitalize on the window we’re in. At the same time, it’s our job to be responsible and make responsible decisions,” Frank said.
“The new CBA will have implications, not just this year, but over the next couple years, and hard decisions will always have to be made. We’ll make those hard decisions, but we’re very fortunate to have Steve and his commitment to building a championship roster.”