Kawhi Leonard’s trade suitors let the Clippers go in the final minutes
The LA Clippers seemingly decided to blow things up at the NBA trade deadline, opting for young players and draft picks instead of established veteran stars. James Harden and Ivica Zubac was rejected with Darius Garland, Benedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and two first-round picks in their place. And rival teams reportedly tried to separate the third piece of the puzzle Kawhi Leonard right until the last hour trade deadline, according to NBA insider Mark Stein.
“League sources tell Stein Line that the LA Clippers were hit with multiple trade inquiries for Kawhi Leonard in the final hour before last Thursday’s trade deadline at 3:00 PM ET after it became known around the league that the Clippers had agreed to send Ivica Zubac to Indiana,” Stein said.
Stein suggested that Leonard’s situation is one that teams are monitoring, and there is expected to be interest in a trade come the offseason. Leonard will enter the final year of the three-year deal he signed with the Clippers ahead of the 2024-25 season.
From a 6-21 start to the season, the Clippers have made a miraculous turnaround by winning 17 of their last 21 games. They are now firmly in the race for a berth, currently sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 25-27.
It was Leonard’s play that was the main reason for the Clippers’ jump in the standings. He appeared in 39 games with just over 32 minutes per game. He averaged a season-high 28.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals on 49.5 percent shooting from the field, 38.9 percent from the 3-point line and 91.4 percent from the free throw line.
Although he was initially left out of the All-Star Game, Leonard was recently named as an injury replacementwhich is his seventh participation in the All-Star tournament.
2026-02-09 20:26:00
