{
  "id": 15126820,
  "title": "3 Los Angeles Clippers bold season predictions after Kawhi Leonard trade, scandal leave franchise gutted",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/3-los-angeles-clippers-bold-season-predictions-after-kawhi-leonard",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-17T05:07:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/3-los-angeles-clippers-bold-050753021.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Los Angeles Clippers are bracing for a challenging 2026-27 season after trading away superstar Kawhi Leonard and suffering a scandal resulting in the forfeit of their first-round picks from 2029 to 2033. Despite these setbacks, analysts are making bold predictions for the team. The first prediction is that Darius Garland, who has struggled with injuries in recent years, will stay healthy and deliver a strong performance. Garland averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists per game last season, and could potentially average around 23 to 24 points along with seven assists per contest this season. The second prediction is that Rui Hachimura, who will be taking on a larger scoring role with the Clippers, will have a breakout season. Hachimura averaged over 20 points per game with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, and with the addition of Darius Garland, he is expected to be the team's second option on offense. The third prediction is that the Clippers' young draft pick, Keaton Wagler, will make the All-Rookie Team.",
  "summary": "Reality is about to hit the Los Angeles Clippers hard. It’s hard to fault the Clippers for selling the farm to bring in Kawhi Leonard back in 2019. But their gambit did not work. All they have to show for Leonard’s tenure are three playoff series wins — and it cost them two-time NBA MVP and future Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the process […] The post 3 Los Angeles Clippers bold season…",
  "key_points": [
    "Darius Garland predicted to stay healthy, average 23-24 points, 7 assists per game",
    "Rui Hachimura expected to have breakout season as second option on offense",
    "Young draft pick Keaton Wagler predicted to make All-Rookie Team"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}