Kawhi Leonard was in no mood to discuss his future after the LA Clippers’ season-ending Play-In loss, choosing instead to sit with the result of a brutal collapse against the Golden State Warriors.
The timing of the question made the response understandable, because this was not a routine defeat or a gentle exit.
The Clippers were at home, in control, and then watched the game flip in the closing stretch as their season disappeared in front of them.
Kawhi Leonard puts LA Clippers future talk on hold
Speaking after the game, Leonard made it clear where his mind was immediately after the loss.
“Let me cry about this loss a little bit more. We’re going to have our discussions when that time comes,” Leonard said.
The answer reflected the weight of the moment more than anything else. Los Angeles had just let a major opportunity slip, and Leonard was not interested in jumping straight from that disappointment into long-term contract or franchise questions.
Given the way the game ended, the immediate focus was always going to be the result rather than the future.
Kawhi Leonard’s production was not enough in the Clippers loss
Leonard finished with 21 points, but the game turned against the Clippers in the fourth quarter as Golden State came back from 13 down to win 126-121 and end Los Angeles’ season.
The late stretch was especially damaging for the Clippers, because Leonard was held scoreless in the fourth until the final 16 seconds while Stephen Curry took over at the other end with a huge second half.
That is what made the defeat so painful. Leonard produced across the night, but the Clippers could not hold their lead once Golden State found rhythm, and the final quarter became the decisive swing in a win-or-go-home game.
So when Leonard pushed off questions about what comes next, the context was obvious. The bigger issue was not the offseason yet, it was the missed chance that had just ended the year.
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