Clippers Reportedly Made Tough Kawhi Leonard Decision at the Trade Deadline

The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly had multiple offers for their superstar forward at the trade deadline.

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers had an unexpectedly busy trade deadline, but it turns out it could have been even more eventful than it was. After trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac, the Clippers reportedly had a chance to move Kawhi Leonard as well, but the front office wanted to hold onto their 34-year-old superstar. According to NBA insider Marc Stein's latest reporting, the Clippers "were hit with multiple trade inquiries" for Leonard in the waning hours of Thursday's deadline, but the team "ultimately resisted the inbound interest."

Clippers Reportedly Turned Down Multiple Trade Offers for Kawhi Leonard

It's obviously hard to know what the exact trade offers were and how close the Clippers actually were to dealing Leonard. Teams around the league must have wondered whether the Clippers were in the midst of a fire sale after moving on from Harden and Zubac. Teams that tried and failed to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, like the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, come to mind as teams that may have been willing to give up assets for Leonard.

One has to wonder whether the Clippers would have traded Kawhi if he made it clear that he wanted out of LA. For now, Leonard seems highly motivated to stay with the Clippers and carry them to the postseason. Despite Harden and Zubac's departure, Leonard hasn't missed a beat, and the Clippers are looking like a good bet to make the postseason in the Western Conference.

It's also safe to assume that trade chatter around Leonard isn't going anywhere. His contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season, so he will be extension eligible this summer. How Leonard feels about staying in LA is currently unclear, especially with the league's Aspiration investigation hanging over the franchise's head.

On Monday, the Clippers' lead decision-maker, Lawrence Frank, talked about Leonard's future with the Clippers. Frank said, "We definitely see a scenario where he’s part of the group going forward... Similar to what we did in other summers, we always get together with Kawhi and his representatives and we lay out what the plan is. The number one priority for Kawhi is the same number one priority for the Clippers organization. We want to win a championship. How do we do it together?" per team insider Joey Linn.

Leonard and the Clippers have been attached at the hip ever since he signed with the team in the summer of 2019. Now the longest-tenured Clipper, Leonard has a special relationship with the organization. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they are in lockstep about his future in LA.

We can continue and look forward to building with Kawhi, while still acknowledging we’re going to need more. We’ll go through every step of what that looks like, whether it’s free agency, whether it’s a trade, whether it’s the draft… But Kawhi has been a great partner, and I anticipate him being a great partner moving forward.

Lawrence Frank on Kawhi Leonard

The decision will ultimately be a mutual one, and it will likely depend on how the rest of the season and the postseason go for the Clippers. With how things have recently been trending in LA, chances are, Leonard isn't going anywhere.