After starting this season 6-21, the Los Angeles Clippers got hot the rest of the way, raising hopes that they would make the playoffs. But once they lost their NBA play-in tournament game to the Golden State Warriors, speculation immediately began about Kawhi Leonard, their franchise player.
Multiple Teams Want Leonard, but Are the Clippers Willing to Trade Leonard?
Leonard has one year remaining on his contract, and since the Clippers’ season ended, there has been talk that he could be traded. Despite the interest in him, there are questions about whether he will actually get moved.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, three of the teams that have shown interest in trading for Leonard are the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Detroit Pistons.
However, Siegel wrote that the Clippers haven’t shown interest in trading the future Hall of Famer.
“Owner Steve Ballmer and executive Lawrence Frank have always supported Kawhi, especially throughout the NBA’s investigation into the whole ordeal with Aspiration this past year, and Frank has made it abundantly clear that the organization’s plan is to win with Leonard.”
“That mindset has not changed yet, and the Clippers are not actively seeking trades involving Leonard, multiple sources told ClutchPoints,” Siegel continued.
“Now, if a team approached them with a massive trade offer for the seven-time All-Star, they would have to at least consider the idea of taking a step back and moving on from Leonard, especially since he turns 35 years old on Monday.”
“Multiple teams, including the Warriors, Timberwolves, and Pistons, have contacted the Clippers both at the trade deadline and this offseason to inquire about Leonard’s availability. At no point did Los Angeles show any interest in trading him, sources said.”
“The Clippers also haven’t received any indications from Kawhi or his camp that he is unhappy with the team.”
Leonard just finished a fantastic season during which he averaged a career-high 27.9 points a game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 38.7% from 3-point range. He may not be the consistent force on the defensive end he used to be, but he’s still capable of being a volume scorer.
Of course, Leonard has always been injury-prone, but he appeared in a respectable 65 regular-season games this year and 68 games during the 2023-24 season.
The Clippers Have Accomplished Little in Seven Years With Leonard
Los Angeles is seemingly stuck in the middle as a mediocre team, and even worse, it has little draft capital after giving up most of it to acquire Paul George and James Harden in recent years.
George came to the team in 2019, the same year Leonard signed with it as a free agent, in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In that deal, it gave up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and a whopping five first-round draft picks.
Since then, the Clippers have reached the Western Conference finals just once, despite being strong favorites to win the NBA championship at the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander has won two MVPs and one scoring title, one of those draft picks turned into rising star Jalen Williams, and the Thunder won the 2025 NBA title.
It seems like perhaps the right time for the Clippers to cut their losses and reload before they could lose Leonard for nothing a year from now.
