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New Report on LA Clippers' Offseason Trade Plans

A new report reveals the Los Angeles Clippers' trade plans heading into the 2025 offseason
Matt Guzman|
Mar 11, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) react during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
Mar 11, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) react during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Clippers

The LA Clippers were bounced from the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs for the third straight season in April, but for the first time in several years, they have reason to be optimistic.

Kawhi Leonard, serving as the Clippers' centerpiece since arriving in 2019, finished the season completely healthy. The forward appeared in nine straight wins to round out his campaign while averaging 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on near-50 percent shooting from the field. He intends to keep it that way heading into the offseason.

“I love the game," Leonard said. "I have a passion for it still. I love to compete out there. That’s pretty much what drives me back. Everything has its ups and downs. You have to go through that in life and just keep going.”

Beyond Leonard, LA has James Harden as its secondary star. Both players were integral to the Clippers' postseason push, and according to Jake Fischer, keeping them together will be the likely course of action for Lawrence Frank and co.

"Be advised, though, that some rival teams expect the Clippers to be a team to watch in the trade market this summer once they get the Harden situation settled," Fischer wrote. "LA indeed has some tradeable contracts on its books ... But first things first: A contract that lines Harden up with Leonard, who is signed through 2026-27, certainly looms as a very plausible outcome."

Harden logged his eighth All-NBA nod this season, joining Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, Detroit's Cade Cunningham, New York's Karl-Anthony Towns, and Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams.

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, guard James Harde
Dec 27, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and guard James Harden (1) sit on the bench in the second half against the Golden State Warriors at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

As strong as Harden performed next to Leonard, keeping him around may not be as easy as it seems. Not even Leonard had the answer at the end of the season. “I don’t know right now," the forward said. "I guess we’re still playing at a high level, in a sense. But that’s a hard question to answer right now.”

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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