Los Angeles Clippers All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard addressed the organization’s decisions to be sellers at the NBA trade deadline this week.
Speaking to reporters after the Clippers’ 114-111 road win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, Leonard indicated to SI.com’s Joey Linn that he understood why the Clippers decided to sell off some key pieces in guard James Harden and center Ivica Zubac:
“Just trying to get younger. We came in the year with the oldest team,” Leonard said. “It makes sense for them to try to get some assets and try to build for the future. It’s a big class coming in 2027, hopefully. They gotta do what’s best for them. … I thought we were tracking well the last six weeks. Everybody has human nature. It’s a complete turnaround from what I thought we could potentially do. Not saying we were contenders, but we thought we could make some noise or mess someone’s season up. Now the tides changed. We’ll get back into it, hopefully after All-Star.”
After sending Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick on Tuesday, the Clippers made another big deal Thursday on deadline day, trading Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for wing Bennedict Mathurin, center Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and one second-round pick.
L.A. got off to a horrible start this season at 6-21, and it appeared as though the playoffs were an impossibility.
However, the Clippers turned things around, going 18-6 since that point to improve to 24-27 on the season.
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The Clips entered the trade deadline as one of the hottest teams in basketball, but the front office still decided to strike while the iron was hot on two of their most valuable trade chips in Harden and Zubac.
Harden is an 11-time All-Star who is having another great year with averages of 25.4 points and 8.1 assists per game, while Zubac is one of the best two-way centers in the league, averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest.
The Clippers may take a step back after trading away two key players, but they did net some solid returns for both Harden and Zubac.
In addition to some much-needed draft capital, the Clippers got three players who could factor heavily into their rotation for the remainder of the season, including Garland, who is a two-time All-Star in his own right and only 26 years old.
It is fair to wonder what the trades of Harden and Zubac could mean for Leonard’s future in L.A., especially since he is only signed through next season.
When asked Friday if he wants to be with the Clippers moving forward, Kawhi responded, “Yeah, I mean right now I’m not thinking of anything else but trying to finish this season off. And that’s the main goal.”
Given that Leonard, Garland and Jackson are all under contract for next season, and Mathurin is a restricted free agent, a strong finish to the 2025-26 campaign could perhaps convince the Clippers to build around that core.
Entering play Saturday, the Clippers are ninth in the Western Conference, meaning they would be part of the postseason play-in tournament if the season ended right now.
The odds would be stacked against them, but if the Clippers can somehow find a way into the playoff field, it would allow them to have the best of both worlds in terms of selling for future assets and playing meaningful basketball in the spring.