Back in June, when the Clippers were rolling through the second round of the postseason, their 25th overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft carried the possibility of being expendable.
After all, what were the chances of a newly minted rookie taken deep in the first round cracking the rotation of a team pursuing a Finals run in 2022? Perhaps, some league observers believed, its return could be more meaningful if packaged in a trade in exchange for an established difference-making veteran.
Then franchise centerpiece Kawhi Leonard partially tore a ligament in his right knee, an injury he underwent surgery to repair earlier this month.