Kawhi Leonard just quietly dealt the Spurs yet another blow with disappearing act

Everyone in the NBA probably isn't trying to help out the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they're doing it anyway. Spurs fans probably weren't watching the Clippers vs. Warriors game on Wednesday night thinking they had a horse in the race, but they did... In a roundabout way.

With the Clippers loss, the Oklahoma City Thunder now own their first-round pick in June's draft. A lottery pick. For the defending champions. Who were just as good this year while being without their second-best player most of the year. Good heavens. The rich get richer, as the Spurs' biggest competitor in the Western Conference now has a chance to add another impactful rookie to a team that is literally running out of space for any more good players.

Of course, the Spurs are more focused on themselves right now. But there is something darkly funny about Kawhi Leonard specifically being the reason the Spurs' path to a dynasty in the Western Conference just potentially got even harder. In the fourt quarter of the Clippers' collapse, Leonard scored two points (and took two total shots) as Draymond Green completely removed him from the game.

Spurs' biggest competitor just keep loading up with picks

You'd think that once a team reaches the level of dominance the Thunder have achieved, they would be out of future assets. You would somehow be wrong. In fact, the Thunder have barely started their run of outrageous first-round picks. In coming years, if you don't know which team a first-rounder belongs to, just assume it's the Thunder.

If Spurs fans want a bit of respite, I'll try my best; the Thunder barely have room for more impact players. It's hard to think of where a rookie would fit into their plans, and if they start drafting guys who they want to develop, it will push out some of the other players who already have been developed.

That's about all I got. It's scary for the league as a whole, and annoying for the Spurs — who are clearly the best-equipped team to knock off OKC this year, and probably for years to come — that Oklahoma City seems to get picks at will. This pick specifically is extra scary, as there is legit franchise-changing talent at the top of the 2026 Draft.

If the Clippers had just made the playoffs, this could have been avoided. Instead, everyone has to hold their breath until lottery night.

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