"Kawhi ruined his career" - NBA fans react to Clippers reportedly moving on from Kawhi Leonard as centerpiece

The drama revolving around Kawhi Leonard, the LA Clippers and his $28 million endorsement deal with Aspiration continues to evolve. With New York-based firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz leading the NBA’s investigation into any possible salary cap circumvention, there seems to be a guillotine hanging over Leonard’s time in the league, more importantly, with the Clippers.

But Leonard’s importance within the organization is already diminishing, regardless of whether he is found guilty in the NBA’s investigation. Writing for ESPN on Wednesday, Baxter Holmes said that according to his conversations with the organization’s former staffers, the team is “done building around Kawhi.”

Holmes also reported that several GMs and league executives expect Leonard and the LA Clippers to go their separate ways once his contract ends after the 2026-27 season.

Fans on social media are reacting to the news, alleging that the Clippers are only done due to the NBA’s ongoing investigation. Others criticized Leonard and his Uncle Dennis for their reported demands. Meanwhile, fans also criticized Leonard for “ruining his career” by leaving the Raptors.

“Kawhi ruined his career by leaving Toronto. Embarrassing,” one fan wrote.

frappharden

@frappharden

@TheDunkCentral @Baxter kawhi ruined his career by leaving toronto. embarrassing.

Cryptid Politics 🇺🇸🐊

@CryptidPolitics

@TheDunkCentral @Baxter Hard to build around a player like Kawhi Leonard who only plays about 50% of the time.

Jeri Tsai

@JeriTsaiNets

@TheDunkCentral @Baxter Kawhi demanded a whole lot only to barely stay healthy on the court. Part ownership for playing 30games is wild 😅

KurlyChris

@KurlyChrisTV

@TheDunkCentral @Baxter Should of stayed and built a legacy in Toronto would of became the best Raptors of all time

AcesAreMyLastHope

@isThatLondino

@TheDunkCentral @Baxter Kawhi for the vet min in 2026 gonna hit like crack

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Will teams still be lining up for Kawhi Leonard after his controversial stint with the LA Clippers?

Kawhi Leonard will become an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2027-28 season. However, this free agency will be very different from the last. The last time Leonard hit free agency was in 2019, when he was 28 and was fresh off leading the Toronto Raptors to the franchise's first NBA title.

As expected, many teams in the league were interested in acquiring him and were willing to offer maximum contracts. This time around, he will be 36 and will come into free agency without much postseason success to show for his time in LA. Moreover, his injury struggles, which often result in significant time on the sidelines, will be concerning for many.

While Kawhi Leonard could still generate a decent amount of interest as a free agent, it is hard to imagine that teams would be willing to offer him a maximum deal, especially in light of his camp's recent demands from various organizations back in 2019.