The Clippers’ momentum just hit a snag mid-road trip. Reports say Kawhi Leonard was sent home from the trip for treatment, and the timing raises fresh questions about Los Angeles’ playoff window.

On Jan. 18, 2026, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Leonard is dealing with left-knee irritation and that the team sent him back to Los Angeles for treatment. He’ll be evaluated once the team returns on Wednesday. That confirms what everyone feared: this is not a routine rest day. Leonard is the driving force behind the team’s recent surge, and his availability matters now more than ever.

The Clippers’ decision echoes their abrupt move with Chris Paul in December 2025, but the reasons are different. Paul was sent home during a five-game road trip on Dec. 3 amid reports of leadership clashes. By contrast, Leonard’s exit is medical, not behavioural, and that distinction changes how the club must respond.

Leonard reportedly sustained a contusion about a week before the Jan. 18 report, during a game against Detroit on Jan. 10. He played through the soreness until the team elected to send him home for treatment. That said, the Clippers expect him to miss at least three games while he’s evaluated and treated.

Why this matters: Leonard is 34 and in the midst of a career-resurgent season. He is averaging 28.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists this year, and he has been central to the team’s recent form. As of Jan. 18, the Clippers sit 18-23 overall, 11th in the Western Conference, and they rode an 8-2 stretch in their last 10 into a five-game winning streak. Losing Leonard even briefly forces immediate rotations and raises the pressure on the roster’s depth.

Fraud Suit Pushback: Ballmer’s Dismissal Bid

Meanwhile, off-court noise has not gone away. In a Monday filing, lawyers for owner Steve Ballmer moved to dismiss parts of the amended complaint that tie Ballmer to alleged salary-cap circumvention. The filing argued the investors “added [Ballmer] in their zeal to recover assets swindled by Sanberg from anybody with the means to pay,” and that there are no facts showing an agreement between Ballmer and Sanberg to skirt the cap.

“While conjecture and unsupported assumptions may be appropriate in the world of Torre’s podcast, they have no place in a sworn legal pleading,” said Ballmer’s attorneys, Jan. filing. If the court narrows Ballmer’s exposure, that could remove one layer of off-court distraction for Leonard and the franchise. For now, the legal fight remains a background factor that adds another stake to every missed game.

On the court, the immediate test is practical. The Clippers have leaned on Leonard through a recent run that flipped a rough start into a credible push. That said, without him, the team must reassign facilitation duties and defensive coverages. James Harden and the bench will absorb more playmaking and minutes, and coach Ty Lue must choose whether to tighten rotations or ride hot hands. Either way, the next few games will reveal if this team is resilient or brittle.

The clear next pressure point is the upcoming home evaluation when the team returns. That check will determine whether Leonard’s absence is a short-term precaution or the start of a longer stretch without its best scorer.

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Put simply: this send-home is not December’s Paul saga. It is health risk management in the thick of a season that suddenly feels urgent. How the Clippers respond will define whether this keeps them on a climb or stalls the momentum they just fought to build.