The Los Angeles Clippers finished the 2025-26 season at 42-40 and got knocked out in the play-in tournament by the Golden State Warriors, and now one of the biggest questions facing this franchise is whether Kawhi Leonard stays in Inglewood.
The Houston Rockets might be hoping the answer is no.
The Rockets went 52-30 this season but are on the brink of elimination against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, and the front office is already looking ahead.
Michael Pina of The Ringer reported that if Houston decides to keep Kevin Durant and push toward a Finals run, Leonard is on their radar as a potential trade target this offseason.
What Pina Said
"If the Rockets go the other way, keep Durant, and believe they're not that far from making the Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, or Donovan Mitchell would presumably be on their radar," Pina wrote.
He went further than just listing Leonard as an option though.
Pina called him "the most interesting name worth pursuing" and even laid out a rough framework for what a deal could look like, suggesting the Rockets could offer Alperen Sengun, Dorian Finney-Smith and two first-round picks.
Why Houston Wants Him
The Rockets are staring down a 3-1 deficit to the Lakers and have major roster questions ahead.
Durant got a two-year extension worth $90 million, but the team around him hasn't been enough to push past the opening round in back-to-back postseasons.
Houston has draft capital, young talent, and a front office that reportedly views nobody on the roster as untouchable.
Adding a two-way wing who just averaged a career-high 27.9 points on 50.5 percent shooting would change the ceiling of that roster overnight.
What the Clippers Could Get Back
Sengun is a two-time All-Star who put up 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game this season while shooting 51.9 percent from the field.
He is 23 years old and under contract, which is exactly the type of building block a team in transition would want.
Finney-Smith adds wing depth, and a pair of first-round picks gives the front office more flexibility as it reshapes the roster around Darius Garland.
The Bigger Picture for Los Angeles
Leonard's future with the Clippers reportedly isn't in immediate danger, and Lawrence Frank has said the plan is to build around him.
But he enters the final year of his deal at $50.3 million in 2026-27 and is eligible for a two-year extension this summer.
If no extension gets done, the Clippers could be looking at losing a 34-year-old Leonard for nothing.
A package centered on Sengun and draft picks would at least give them something to show for it, and it would give the franchise a younger core to work with moving forward.
Nothing is imminent. But the conversation is starting, and that alone should tell the Clippers something about where the league sees this headed.