The 2025-26 season will be a year Los Angeles Clippers fans will look to forget as soon as possible, as the team is just 6-18 through 24 games this year. While they are mathematically alive for the postseason still, it seems like a reach to assume this team could do a 180 and become a legit playoff team.

Factoring in a looming verdict by the NBA for their ongoing investigation, there are not a lot of reasons to be excited if you're a Clippers fan. Given the state of affairs, making some major trades with the roster could be what this team needs, as ESPN insider recently explored what the possibility of that would look like.

NBA Insiders Weigh In On Clippers' Trade Options

Unfortunately, not many players on the Clippers appear as though they'll receive a solid return on the trade market. Therefore, making a drastic move like trading James Harden or Kawhi Leonard seems like the only option if the Clippers want to find a way to add assets for the future, especially since they don't control their first-round pick till 2030.

"Some sources have indicated that the Clippers could try to move up their free agency timeline from the 2027 offseason to next summer, which would require finding trade partners with cap room to take on Harden ($42 million player option for 2026-27) and Leonard (owed $50 million in 2026-27)," ESPN's Tim Bontemps wrote.

Looking at what could be available in the 2026 free agency class, it potentially includes Trae Young, Zach LaVine, Anfernee Simons, Jonathan Kuminga, Austin Reaves, and Coby White. Young and Reaves are the two most compelling names on the list, but Reaves will likely remain with the Lakers while Young could very well enter free agency given Atlanta's situation.

Regardless, Young will be 28 years old next season, and now dealing with an injury this season on top of his defensive woes, who's to say he'd be a major help to this Clippers team.

While it's a tricky situation, that doesn't mean it's impossible for the Clippers to get out of this situation. Brian Windhorst cited a quote from an anonymous executive that referenced the Phoenix Suns and how they went from one of the worst situations in the league to a likely playoff contender this season.

Harden is definitely the easiest of the two to move, since he's mostly available and can still play at an All-NBA level. Leonard is the tough one, due to his injury history and the ongoing investigation into him. But at this point, the Clippers probably shouldn't sit around and hope that everything will be different with the same team next season.