Windhorst pops the Kawhi Leonard question amid the Clippers’ rebuild
One of the biggest stories of the NBA trade deadline is what happened with Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers drove high and played well until James Harden has requested a trade to the Cleveland Cavaliersand then Ivica Zubac was traded to the Indiana Pacers. This was an instant reshuffle for the Clippers, and it begs the question of what will happen next Kawhi Leonard moving forward.
ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst asked the question during ESPN’s NBA Trade Deadline coverage of what will happen with Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers have been on a rollercoaster thus far this season, getting off to a bad start and then going on a hot streak before it came out of nowhere that Harden wanted a trade. The Harden craft then made them look elsewhere, and that’s where the Zubac craft came from.
Windhorst said, “It seems like the Clippers are in a major rebuild. I’m going to pull back from saying a rebuild, but it sure looks like a rebuild to me when you’re trading for draft guys like this. Harden and Zubac. And so the question is, what about Kawhi Leonard? What about Kawhi Leonard? Okay, maybe he’s not going to look at this 36 minutes in the precursor to the Kawhi Leonard trade coming this summer?”
Leonard has been with the Clippers since 2019 after joining as part of the tandem with Paul George. The team eventually added Harden to the mix to create the “Big 3,” but they only lasted one season together before George decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2024. With Harden traded to the Cavaliers, Leonard is the only star left over from that first signing.
After missing time earlier this year, Leonard returned to the court and re-established himself as one of the best two-way players in the league. In his 36 appearances this season, he is averaging 27.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals.
The Clippers are 23-27 and are currently the ninth seed in the Western Conference. Now, after these moves, it’s unclear what will happen to the Clippers moving forward.
2026-02-05 22:56:00
