NBA Exec Says Clippers Are 'Cooked' amid Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal Injuries
Amid a disappointing 3-8 start, there is reportedly a belief among some in the NBA that the Los Angeles Clippers are in trouble.
Speaking to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, an anonymous Eastern Conference executive said the Clippers are "cooked."
The Clippers entered the 2025-26 campaign relying on a number of veteran players, including Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, Chris Paul, Nicolas Batum and Bogdan Bogdanović, who are all 32 years of age or older.
In fact, the Clips began the season as the oldest team in NFL history with an average age of 33.2, per Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh and Dan Devine.
Many of the Clippers' vets have been nowhere near as effective as they were in past years, and injuries are already starting to take a toll as well.
Beal is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a hip fracture, and Leonard has missed L.A.'s past five games.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Clippers president Lawrence Frank said this week that Leonard is suffering from a "significant" foot sprain in addition to a sprained ankle.
Given Leonard's lengthy injury history in recent years, it is fair to wonder if another long-term absence could be in the cards.
Even when Leonard has played, the Clippers have been average at best, going 3-3 in the games in which he has been active.
An advance scout suggested to Windhorst that the Clippers' age and lack of explosiveness is doing them in, saying, "They move so slowly, they can't recover when they turn the ball over or give up a quick transition."
As noted by Windhorst, the Clippers are last in the NBA in pace and fast-break points, which is doing them no favors in the league that has become decidedly up-tempo.
The Clippers are also just 27th in the NBA with 109.5 points per game, and although they are 13th in points allowed, their defense has been a far cry from last season when they ranked fourth in points allowed.
L.A. has made three straight playoff appearances and six in the past seven seasons, but that streak is very much in jeopardy of coming to an end this season due to the depth of talent in the Western Conference.
To make matters worse, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in possession of the Clippers' unprotected 2026 first-round pick, meaning that even if the Clippers finish as one of the worst teams in the league, they won't have the benefit of a top draft pick.
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