1 deal the Clippers must make in the 2025-26 NBA trade season

Season 2025-26 running away from the Los Angeles Clippers in one of the most shocking reversals for this campaign. There were so many high expectations for this Clippers team heading into the new season after overhauling the roster and bolstering it with the veteran additions of John Collins, Chris Paul, Bradley Beal and Brook Lopez, but everything has turned to crap for LA this season in full Murphy’s Law display.

At the time of this writing, the Clippers have a 6-20 record. That’s such a steep drop from last season, when they finished with 50 wins and pushed the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

They looked like a dark horse; now, it looks like they’ll pull the trigger on a fire sale that would mark the end of this disappointing era of basketball that may have had plenty of hopeful moments, but just couldn’t see them get over the hump.

Given where they are in the Western Conference standings (14th, 4.5 games back of 10th), the Clippers could decide to sell even if they don’t have their first-round pick in 2026. There’s not even a hint that this poor form isn’t the new norm now.

The Clippers have the fifth-worst defense in the league, allowing 119.1 points per 100 possessions. They are allowing almost 10 more points per 100 than last season. Meanwhile, their offense ranks 20th in the league (with just 113.6 points per 100). Their net rating is -5.6, good for the sixth-worst in the NBA).

Wholesale changes must come for the Clippers. Their 2026 first-round pick is long gone. They cannot fall prey to the sunk cost fallacy. It’s time to blow it up and start the process of building something new instead of waiting to hit rock bottom before taking action.

This is a deal the Clippers need to make while the trade season is underway.

It’s time for the Clippers to say goodbye Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Acquire: Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, Ryan Rollins, 2031 Unprotected First Round Pick (MIL)

Bucks take: Kawhi Leonard, Brook Lopez, Chris Paul

(Trade is legal on January 15, 2026)

First and foremost, it must be said thwhere the Clippers would need a lot of convincing to trade Leonard. This is a man Steve Ballmer has built his franchise since 2019. They’ve done everything in their power to keep Leonard happy, giving in to his demands, ridiculous or not, and Leonard also might not want to walk away from this team even though they’ve been playing losing basketball.

But what the Clippers need right now is a reset, a chance to turn the franchise around. Leonard is healthier than ever; he plays heavy minutes and even clothes in the backs. His trade value may never be higher moving forward than it is now, and LA needs to cash in.

Now, the definition of monetization will vary from person to person. And it’s unlikely the Clippers would get a royalty for Leonard, who at 34 is no longer a spring chicken and unlikely to get any healthier as he ages.

In fact, some people around the NBA believe it Leonard has a negative trade value and considering he’s making $50 million this season and next, that’s not hard to believe. There aren’t too many teams with the ability to match the salary cap of the Clippers for Leonard who would also want to shell out real assets for a star with as much risk attached to him as a 34-year-old power forward.

Leonard no longer even guarantees a high level of contention; The Clippers have struggled even though he is putting up numbers every night. He’s averaging over 25 points on 48/37/97 shooting, which is typical of him, but that hasn’t translated into winning basketball that would shut so many teams down.

If the Clippers were to explore the Leonard trade, they’ll have to temper their expectations. Only teams reeking of desperation would want to explore buying Leonard. And maybe there isn’t a a more desperate team than the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks face the threat of losing Giannis Antetokounmpo, either via trade or free agency in 2027. And according to reports, they want to make a big trade to try to upgrade the team to give Giannis extra incentive to stay.

Signing Myles Turner last season isn’t it. Turner was never a needle mover anyway, just a very good player on good teams. And Turner has struggled in his new digs all season.

The Bucks must be very frustrated that they did paying about 47 million dollars (when considering the dead money from Damian Lillard) for Turner’s miserable production, especially of late.

Leonard could be the star that helps turn things around for the Bucks. The Bucks need a Khris Middleton-style VP for Antetokounmpo, and Leonard does most of the things Middleton has done for the team in the past, but better.

Since Kevin Porter Jr. has become a very good player again, the Bucks need to feel more confident in the trade of Ryan Rollins. Rollins, in 22 games as a starter this season until nowhe averaged 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists while playing disruptive defense on offense (1.4 steals per game).

He’s only 23 years old, making him a piece the Clippers could potentially build around. Acquiring Rollins and Turner gives the Clippers two assets they could either keep (in the case of the former) or flip for more assets (in the case of the latter). Kyle Kuzma is simply in this trade to fit the salary.

In this trade, the Clippers also release Lopez and Paul. Those two fell out of favor pretty quickly in Lue’s eyes, and at this point, restoring harmony in the locker room is key for LA. The Bucks will need Lopez anyway if they want to replace Turner, and Paul helps offset the loss of Rollins as the ball handler for Milwaukee.