If you listen closely, you can actually hear the sound of the Los Angeles Clippers’ championship window slamming shut—and locking from the outside. It’s grim in LA right now, and we aren’t talking about the traffic. The Clippers are sitting at a disastrous 5-16 record, languishing in 14th place in the Western Conference, and looking every bit like a team that has completely lost its way.
But here is the kicker that makes this tragedy a comedy for everyone else: they can’t even tank properly. Thanks to the Paul George trade, the Oklahoma City Thunder own the Clippers’ 2026 first-round pick. Right now, that is projected to be a Top 5 pick. So, the Clippers are currently struggling just to help the best team in the West get even better. It is a level of mismanagement that is almost impressive if it wasn’t so sad.
Enter Kendrick Perkins, who decided to pour a tanker truck full of gasoline on the fire during a recent appearance on the Road Trippin’ Show. He didn’t just criticize the team; he went for the jugular regarding the team’s franchise cornerstone.
Kendrick Perkins Goes Scorched Earth on Leonard
We all know Big Perk doesn’t hold back, but this assessment was brutal even by his standards. Perkins didn’t mince words, labeling Leonard as “one of the worst free agent signings in NBA history.”
Ouch. But is he wrong?
Perkins argued that the signing has effectively set the franchise back “10 to 15 years.” When you look at the desolate wasteland of assets the Clippers currently possess, it is hard to argue against that logic. The team went all-in during the summer of 2019, convinced they were buying a dynasty. Instead, they bought a part-time superstar and a ticket to mediocrity.
“They paid him over $300 million,” Perkins pointed out, noting that Leonard has only suited up for 277 out of a possible 492 games since putting on a Clippers uniform. That is barely over 50%. Imagine showing up to your job half the time and demanding a raise. That is essentially what has happened here. The Clippers paid premium prices for a luxury car that spends six months of the year in the mechanic’s shop.
The Trade That Will Haunt LA Forever
To understand why Perkins is calling this the worst signing ever, you have to look at the collateral damage. Leonard didn’t just come to LA alone; he essentially held the front office hostage, demanding they acquire a second star before he put pen to paper.
That demand led to the infamous trade where the Clippers shipped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a historic haul of five first-round picks to OKC for Paul George.
In hindsight, that trade looks like a robbery in broad daylight. SGA has blossomed into a legitimate MVP candidate, leading a young, hungry Thunder team that is dominating the West. Meanwhile, Paul George is now a Philadelphia 76er, and Leonard is battling his own body just to stay on the floor.
Perkins hammered this point home: “The Clippers were begging and pleading for him to say, ‘Hey, bro, we got to keep SGA.’ He didn’t want SGA.”
Because Leonard didn’t want to wait for a young player to develop, the Clippers mortgaged their entire future. Now, the bill has come due, and the account is overdrawn.
Stuck in Basketball Purgatory
The reality for the Clippers is bleak. They are in “no man’s land.” If they keep losing, they hand a lottery pick to a division rival. If they try to win, they likely hit a ceiling of a first-round exit—assuming Leonard stays healthy, which is never a safe bet.
Perkins noted that this team was supposed to be “looking the Lakers eye to eye.” Instead, they are looking up from the bottom of the standings while the Lakers (drama and all) remain relevant.
The Clippers are trapped. They can’t rebuild because they don’t own their picks. They can’t contend because their roster is old and disjointed. They are zombie-walking through the season, led by a superstar who is historically great when he plays, but historically unavailable.
If this experiment ends without a ring—and let’s be real, it’s over—Perkins might go down as being 100% correct. This wasn’t just a swing and a miss; it was a strikeout that cost the franchise a decade.
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