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By Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN staff writer
LAS VEGAS — Los Angeles Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team was “extremely disappointed” by the United States Basketball Association’s decision last week to remove Kawhi Leonard from the U.S. Olympic roster.
In a statement released Wednesday, USA Basketball suggested Leonard was not joining the team at the discretion of Clippers and Team USA officials after observing the two-time Finals MVP’s movements and play at a USA Basketball camp in Las Vegas last week.
Frank said Leonard has no residual symptoms from surgery on his right knee. The USA Basketball Association has selected Boston’s Derrick White as Leonard’s replacement.
“No, that was a USAB decision and I was quite disappointed in the decision quite frankly,” Frank said. “Kawhi wanted to play and we wanted him to play. I attended the first two practices and he looked great. He was fully involved in everything they did. I wasn’t at the third practice when they ultimately decided to go in a different direction.” [last Wednesday].
“I told them I really wish they’d given Kawhi more time.”
Leonard missed the final eight games of the regular season because of inflammation in his right knee, which he had surgery on, returning for Games 2 and 3 but missing the final three games in the team’s first-round series loss to Dallas.
Frank was asked if Leonard had undergone any procedures or treatment on his right knee ahead of the USA Basketball camp.
“I won’t go into too much detail about what’s going on,” Frank said, “all I can say is that he’s been preparing for this fight for a long time. He’s really made progress and looked good in practice.”
Leonard said he was able to “improve” his knee and the inflammation over the two weeks leading up to USA Basketball’s camp. A day before USA Basketball announced Leonard would not remain with the team, Leonard said his knee was in “neutral status.”
“If we weren’t confident he could make it through the entire Olympics, he wouldn’t compete and we wouldn’t have him,” Frank said. “From a USAB perspective, we understand that nobody has a crystal ball to predict the future.”
Leonard has missed the last two playoff games because of right knee injuries. In 2023, he tore the meniscus in his right knee after the first two games of a five-game series against the Phoenix Suns, who beat Los Angeles in the first round.
Frank said Leonard will likely be ready by the time the Clippers start training camp in October.
Frank also touched on the future of Russell Westbrook, who exercised his $4 million contract option in late June. Frank said he’s been in discussions with Westbrook’s agent since Paul George moved to Philadelphia as a free agent. The Clippers often paired the two, former teammates and friends in Oklahoma City, on the court. But with George gone, Westbrook will likely play elsewhere next season.
“First of all, Russ is a hell of a player,” Frank said. “He’s a Hall of Famer. What he’s done is unique to him. He had a different role last year as a backup in the James trade. [Harden]Since he opted in, and now that PG has also left, we’ve been working with his agent to find the best fit for Russell.
“However, we have a lot of respect for Russ and he has done a great job during his time here. We will continue to work through his representatives to determine what is best next.”
Frank said he has spoken with representatives for Clippers players P.J. Tucker and Vaughn Hyland, who want to play more, and that if there’s no path forward for them to play, the Clippers will work with the players to find alternative situations, Frank said.
Frank said he also spoke with Ivica Zubac and Terrance Mann about possible contract extensions.
