Here's Why the Clippers’ Trade Deadline Teardown Bodes Well for the Sixers

After getting off to a dismal 6-21 start this season, the Los Angeles Clippers caught fire and became one of the NBA's hottest teams over the past two months. That didn't stop them from taking a sledgehammer to their roster at the trade deadline, though.

First, James Harden angled his way out of L.A. once it became clear that he didn't factor into the Clippers' long-term plans. They sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for two-time All-Star guard Darius Garland and a future second-round pick. They weren't done there, though.

Shortly before the deadline, the Clippers traded starting center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and one second-round pick. The Clippers will receive the Pacers' pick in 2026 if it falls between 5-9; otherwise, they'll receive unprotected first-rounders in 2029 and 2031.

Why are you reading so much about the Clippers on a Sixers website? Thank Harden for that, too.

After Harden went on his Daryl Morey Is A Liar World Tour during the 2023 offseason, the Sixers eventually relented and shipped him to the Clippers shortly after the 2023-24 season began. In return, they received a package that included a fully unprotected 2028 first-round pick from the Clippers, along with the right to swap first-rounders in 2029 as long as the Clippers' pick lands outside of the top three.

At the time, the Clippers were building around three 30-something stars in Harden, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Harden is now in Cleveland, George is now in Philadelphia and Leonard is Will Smith in the final scene of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

"Obviously, you need luck in this league," Leonard told reporters after the Harden trade. "With shots, with injuries, with everything, so it's just how it played out. I wanted to give it another run, but it didn't happen that way, so now we're here."

That begs the question: Is Leonard the next one who's on his way out of L.A.?

What's next for Kawhi?

According to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein, the Clippers were "hit with multiple trade inquiries" about Leonard in the hour leading up to the trade deadline once word of the Zubac trade broke. The Clippers didn't wind up trading him, but they "have rival teams openly wondering about their plans for Leonard" moving forward, Stein added.

Leonard, who turns 35 in late June, has one year and $50.3 million remaining on his contract after this season. He's still playing at an All-NBA-caliber level, but the Clippers appear to be pivoting away from a win-now mentality. Would both sides be amenable to a split this summer?

Further complicating matters: The NBA currently has a law firm investigating salary-cap circumvention allegations regarding Leonard and the Clippers. Depending on the findings of that investigation, the league has the power to outright void Leonard's contract, among other things.

The worst-case scenario from the Clippers' perspective would be the NBA voiding Leonard's contract but still leaving his $50.3 million cap hit on their books for next season. The best-case scenario would be a light slap on the wrist and/or a fine but no additional punishments.

Either way, that's another variable that could increase the value of the picks that the Clippers owe to the Sixers.

Sixers could benefit from a Clippers rebuild

If the Clippers decline their team options on Bogdan Bogdanović ($16.0 million), Brook Lopez ($9.2 million) and Nic Batum ($5.9 million), they could have $40-plus million in cap space this offseason. But if they intend to re-sign Mathurin, that'll likely take up a big chunk of that spending power.

For now, the Clippers are straddling two timelines, just like the Golden State Warriors have been over the past half-decade. Leonard, Bogdanović, Lopez, Batum, Kris Dunn and Bradley Beal are all over the age of 30. Meanwhile, Garland just turned 26 in January, Jackson just turned 24 in February and Mathurin doesn't turn 24 until mid-June.

If the Clippers do trade Leonard, what they get in return could help accelerate their rebuild. By the 2028 draft, they might be back in the playoff picture and it'll only end up being a mid-to-late first-round pick. But for now, the upside of that pick should give it enormous appeal on the trade market.

The Clippers have reportedly been eyeing the 2027 free-agent class—one which could include both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić—but a lot will change over the next 16 months. It's become an annual tradition in the NBA for a potentially promising free-agent class to get picked clean by extensions before free agency even begins.

That's where the cap-circumvention allegations come back into play for the Clippers. If the NBA issues a punishment with legitimate team-building ramifications, that could hamper the Clippers' chances of signing impact players either this summer or in 2027.

There's still a wide range of outcomes with the 2028 Clippers pick and 2029 swap rights, but Harden and Zubac's departures preserve the high ceiling of that future draft capital. If the Western Conference remains this competitive over the next few years, the Clippers could struggle to move past the Leonard era and get back into the playoffs.

The Oklahoma City Thunder own the Clippers' 2026 pick outright and have swap rights on their 2027 pick, so the Clippers have zero incentive to tank over the next few years. That should keep them above teams like the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans in the West. But if Garland continues to struggle with toe injuries, the floor might fall out on them regardless.

As infuriating as it might have been to see the Sixers sell at the trade deadline rather than buy, the upside of those future Clippers picks got a massive boost. They were wise to hang on to those picks for now and see how the Clippers navigate the next few months before deciding whether to trade them away.

If the Sixers add a top-five pick to their core of Tyrese Maxey and VJ right as Paul George's contract expires, they could give themselves a strong young foundation for the post-Joel Embiid era.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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