Kawhi Leonard was selected to the 2025-2026 All-NBA Second Team. Leonard, 34, has now made 7 All-NBA teams in his career. During the regular season, Leonard averaged 27.9 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. 

Kawhi missed much of the early portion of the season due to injury. Throughout that time, the Clippers struggled to win, as they were 9-21 through their first 30 games. After the All-Star break, that's when Leonard was able to play consistently, and the team found their footing. 

The Clippers were able to make the play-in tournament as the 10th seed in the Western Conference. They defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, but then were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns. 

Los Angeles entered the lottery with a 47 percent chance of possessing their first-round pick, as it was top-four protected by the Indiana Pacers. The Clippers lucked out and now have the fifth overall pick in this year's draft. 

The Clippers are in a position for a potential rebuild, as their roster got younger as the season progressed. Though Kawhi Leonard was their best player throughout the season, they traded for Darius Garland, and Bennedict Mathurin saw an increase in minutes. 

While the Clippers may be going younger as a roster, keeping Leonard on the team could do more good for them than bad. 

The Clippers had an established lineup to end the season, and though they came up short of the playoffs, they still found an identity as a team. A big part of that identity was Kawhi Leonard. 

Leonard is still an offensive threat that teams have to account for every night. Defensively, Leonard hasn't taken too many steps back. Another aspect of his game that is keeping him around is his IQ. 

If the Clippers want to get younger as a team, having Kawhi around the young pieces will benefit them tremendously. He will likely be their best player next season, and he can mentor the future generation of Clippers players. 

The only scenario in which it would be acceptable to trade Kawhi is if the Clippers get a big haul in return. Other than that, there is no real reason to break up the continuity that they have already built this season. 

Another scenario in which Kawhi could get traded is if the Clippers get off to another bad start in 2026. He could be a name to watch for in the trade deadline. At the moment, the plan should be to keep building around Kawhi and see how far that can take them.