If Leonard stays, what could happen?
The Los Angeles Clippers look nothing like the team that started this season.
James Harden is in Cleveland, and Ivica Zubac is in Indiana, with Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin in the house now.
The Clippers scraped back from a 5-16 start to finish 42-40, but it only got them as far as a play-in loss to the Golden State Warriors.
What they do still have is Kawhi Leonard, who turned in a career-high 27.9 points per game along with 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists across 65 games and earned All-NBA Second Team honors.
Every decision this offseason should start with him.
The Trade Talk
Teams across the league have been calling about Leonard all spring.
The Warriors, Heat, Pistons and Timberwolves have all been linked to him in trade scenarios this offseason, and insiders like Jake Fischer have called him the second-biggest trade candidate behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But there is real skepticism around the league that owner Steve Ballmer is willing to part with him, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said after the season that the plan is to build around Kawhi.
That stance makes a lot of sense when you look at what Leonard produced this year, shooting 50.5 percent from the field and playing more games than he has in any season since joining the franchise.
He is entering the last year of a three-year, $149.5 million deal and can sign a two-year extension worth up to $126.1 million this summer.
Moving him now would mean giving up a player who is still performing at an elite level without anyone on the roster ready to replace what he brings.
Keep the Supporting Cast Together
If the Clippers commit to Leonard, the next priority should be locking in the young talent around him.
Bennedict Mathurin is a restricted free agent after averaging 17.6 points and 5.4 rebounds across 54 games this season and has already said publicly that he wants to stay in Los Angeles.
A deal in the range of three years and $50 million would keep his salary reasonable while securing a 23-year-old scorer who still has room to grow alongside the veteran core.
John Collins is an unrestricted free agent who gives the Clippers a versatile frontcourt option and showed he can contribute whether he starts or comes off the bench, and a short-term deal near the mid-level exception would work for both sides.
With Darius Garland already in place from the Harden trade and the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on the way, the Clippers have a real chance to surround Leonard with a young roster that can compete now and develop into something better down the road.
Trading him would speed up a rebuild, but keeping him gives this franchise something it has not had in a long time.
