The proposed deal would pair Leonard with Bam Adebayo in Miami.
The Los Angeles Clippers went 42-40 this season and got knocked out by the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament.
Their offseason is already chaotic.
ESPN's Bobby Marks recently put together a mock trade that sends Kawhi Leonard and Kris Dunn to the Miami Heat, with the Clippers getting back Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, a 2030 unprotected first-round pick and a 2032 unprotected first-round pick.
Both sides have reasons to say yes, and both sides have reasons to hang up the phone.
Why It Works for the Heat
Miami finished 43-39 and missed the playoffs entirely for the first time since 2019.
Pat Riley did not sugarcoat it during his end-of-season press conference, telling reporters he was "really pissed" about the team's direction.
The Heat have been swinging for a franchise star ever since Jimmy Butler left, and they keep missing.
Getting bounced in the play-in by Charlotte only added to the urgency.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists this season on 50.5 percent shooting across 65 games.
He is 34 and still one of the best two-way players in basketball, which is wild when considering how much time he has missed over the years.
Pairing him with Bam Adebayo gives Miami a frontcourt that can guard anybody while Leonard handles the midrange scoring load that the Heat have been missing since Butler walked.
The fit feels natural.
Why the Clippers Would Consider It
The Clippers shipped James Harden to Cleveland and Ivica Zubac to Indiana at the deadline, so the teardown is already happening whether the front office wants to call it that or not.
Leonard has one year left on a deal worth over $50 million, and letting that walk out the door for nothing in 2027 free agency would be brutal.
That is the scenario the Clippers are trying to avoid.
Herro averaged 20.5 points in the 33 games he played this season, Wiggins is a useful veteran wing who shot 41.4 percent from three this year, and two unprotected firsts down the road at least give the Clippers something to build around.
Not a franchise-altering haul, but a real one for a guy entering his mid-30s.
Why They Might Not
Leonard just had maybe the best season of his career.
He dragged this franchise from 6-21 to above .500, which nobody thought was possible, and reports say he has not asked out.
Moving him after a year like that would be a strange message to send to the rest of the locker room.
Wiggins put up 15.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in Miami but is not the sort of player who changes a franchise's ceiling at this point.
Herro played less than half the season, and the picks don't help the Clippers win games next year either.
There is also the Aspiration investigation hanging over everything.
If the league ends up voiding Leonard's contract, the whole trade conversation disappears overnight and the Clippers lose him anyway.