The Los Angeles Clippers are going through a terrible season this year. First, they went through a horrible breakup with Chris Paul, abruptly ending his retirement tour. Now, despite having a healthy Kawhi Leonard and James Harden playing together, the Clippers can’t seem to catch a break.
The Clippers are currently 14th in the Western Conference with a 6-18 record. Despite their lackluster performances, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer still has no intention of severing ties with Leonard and Harden, despite several seasons of failure.
An NBA insider revealed why Ballmer can’t let go of the two stars.
The NBA Player Guessing Game allows you to guess the NBA player based on clues about their team, division, height, jersey number, points, and experience.
Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer Remains Loyal to Kawhi Leonard and James Harden
Harden and Leonard have suited up for the Clippers for a while now. Kawhi has been with the team for six seasons, while Harden is in his third season. However, throughout their tenure with the Clippers, it never resulted in any success.
Back in the 2019-20 season, Leonard teamed up with Paul George to form a new dynamic duo in Los Angeles. They were expected to be better than their LA rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the Clippers ultimately failed to reach their goal due to the duo’s injury issues.
Since then, it has been the same story for the Clippers, and oddly enough, the team’s owner, Ballmer, seems unable to let go of Leonard to rebuild. NBA insider Sam Amick provided some insight into why Ballmer remains loyal to Leonard.
“There should be a world (where Ballmer lets go of Leonard and Harden),” Amick said. “Hundred percent, there should be. But I don’t see it because Steve Ballmer has just got this inexplicable, in my opinion, borderline insane addiction to this group, if that makes sense.”
“I don’t understand it,” Amick continued. “Because when you talk about Kawhi … Steve has never waivered in his loyalty to Kawhi and continues to barrel down that road.”
“Steve Ballmer has got this inexplicable, borderline insane addiction to this group.” 😳@sam_amick “doesn’t understand” why the Clippers won’t start a rebuild by trading Kawhi Leonard and/or James Harden 🤨@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/jOrW88M4oX
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 9, 2025
Looking at how Leonard and Harden have performed so far this season, there’s no denying that they’re still All-Star caliber players. Leonard is averaging 25.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals. As for Harden, he’s putting up 26.8 points, 8.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.
Despite their figures, it’s clear that the team isn’t performing well, given their record. If Ballmer remains loyal to his two stars, then the chances are the Clippers won’t see a complete rebuild until their contracts expire in the summer of 2027.