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Amid swirling offseason speculation, a trusted NBA insider says Kawhi Leonard has shown zero desire to leave the Los Angeles Clippers.

Everyone wants to know what Kawhi Leonard is going to do. For now, the answer seems simple: he's staying with the Los Angeles Clippers

Despite a season that ended in the Play-In Tournament and plenty of offseason noise surrounding the franchise, there haven't been any real indications that Leonard wants out.

ClutchPoints senior NBA reporter Brett Siegel put it plainly this week, saying Leonard hasn't gone to the Clippers expressing any desire to leave, and that speculation suggesting otherwise simply isn't grounded in anything real right now.

"As of now he has not gone to the Clippers saying that he doesn't want to be there anymore and there's been zero indications to suggest that he doesn't want to be in LA anymore," Siegel said. "So anywhere that you may see that is simply not true right now."

Jan 22, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesJan 22, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Kawhi Just Had One of His Best Seasons

That's a pretty definitive statement from someone with direct sourcing on the situation. In a league where player movement rumors spread fast and often take on a life of their own, having a credible reporter pump the brakes this clearly is worth paying attention to.

The timing of the trade rumors is interesting when you consider what Leonard actually did this season. He played 65 games, averaged 27.9 points per game, and shot 50 percent from the field. After playing just 37 games the year before, this was perhaps the healthiest and most consistent version of Kawhi the Clippers have had.

LA finished 42-40 despite a brutal 6-21 start that included the messy departure of Chris Paul. The fact that they righted the ship and made the Play-In at all had a lot to do with Leonard carrying this team through stretches where most rosters would've completely fallen apart.

He averaged nearly 28 points a night, held his own defensively, and gave the Clippers a reason to believe every single night he was on the floor. This wasn't a down year for Kawhi individually. It was actually one of the better seasons of his entire professional career. 

Clippers' Next Move Is Key

The health piece can't be overstated either. National analysts and other commenters on the sport have routinely declared Leonard's body cooked, and this past season showed that he's still got enough left in the tank to be reliable for an entire regular season. 

The bigger question surrounding LA this offseason isn't really about Leonard's commitment, it's more so about what the front office does around him. The Clippers have real decisions to make about roster construction, and the direction they choose will say a lot about how seriously they're taking another run at contention.

Do they look to add another star to pair with Kawhi? Do they make minor adjustments and run it back with the group they have? Or do they go a different direction entirely and start accumulating assets for a longer rebuild? None of those answers are clear yet, but Leonard's willingness to stay gives them options. 

For a franchise that's spent years trying to maximize Kawhi's window while managing his health, having him locked in and playing at an elite level heading into the offseason is about as good a starting point as they could ask for. The rest of the offseason questions are considerable, but they're mostly good problems to have.

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