Kawhi Leonard Caught Off Guard by Clippers’ Trade Deadline Shake-Up - But L.A. Isn’t Letting Go
Kawhi Leonard didn’t see this one coming.
Just as the Clippers were finding their stride, rattling off some of their best basketball in weeks, the front office made a surprise pivot at the trade deadline. The kind of pivot that turns heads - and raises questions.
Los Angeles sent out James Harden and Ivica Zubac, two key pieces who had helped stabilize a rocky start to the season. It was a bold move, especially considering the team’s recent momentum.
And it didn’t go unnoticed around the league. In fact, multiple teams reportedly reached out about Leonard in the final hour before the deadline.
But the Clippers weren’t picking up those calls. Not for Kawhi.
Instead, they brought in Darius Garland, Bennedict Mathurin, and Isaiah Jackson, along with a package of draft assets. And just like that, the NBA rumor mill kicked into overdrive.
Was this the beginning of a rebuild? Were the Clippers preparing for life after Kawhi?
Not so fast.
Team president Lawrence Frank made it clear: Kawhi Leonard is still very much in the Clippers’ plans - and possibly beyond his current deal.
“We definitely see a scenario where he's part of the group going forward,” Frank said. “Look - Kawhi when healthy is arguably one of the top-5 players in this league. No one is playing better than him over this last 7-week stretch.”
It’s hard to argue with that. Leonard, now 34, is putting up some of the most efficient, impactful basketball of his career.
He’s averaging a career-best 28 points per game, along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals. That two-way dominance earned him his seventh All-Star nod - and has been the engine behind the Clippers’ recent turnaround.
After stumbling out of the gate this season, L.A. has clawed its way back to ninth in the Western Conference with a 25-27 record. Leonard has been the steadying force, the one constant in a season full of questions.
Frank emphasized that the franchise’s top priority - and Leonard’s - remains unchanged: chasing a championship.
“The number one priority for Kawhi is the same number one priority for the Clippers organization. We want to win a championship.
How do we do it together? This is what it looks like.”
What it looks like, according to Frank, is a roster that balances flexibility with proven talent. That thinking shaped the structure of Harden’s deal and informed the recent moves at the deadline.
But Frank was quick to clarify - flexibility isn’t just about cap space. It’s about making the right choices with that space.
“Darius is a great example of that… Would you rather have space or would you rather have Darius? We’d rather have Darius.”
The message is clear: this isn’t a teardown. It’s a recalibration. And Kawhi is still at the center of it.
Frank pointed to the upcoming 2027-28 window as a key point in the Clippers’ long-term strategy, but stressed that the team isn’t waiting around. They’re building now - through trades, free agency, and the draft - and they’re doing it with Leonard in mind.
“We can continue and look forward to building with Kawhi, while still acknowledging we're going to need more. We'll go through every step of what that looks like… But Kawhi has been a great partner, and I anticipate him being a great partner moving forward.”
For now, Leonard is doing what he does best: letting his game do the talking. And if the Clippers continue to build around him with the same urgency and clarity Frank laid out, don’t count them out just yet.
Because when Kawhi Leonard is healthy and locked in - as he has been over the last two months - there aren’t many players in the league who can tilt the floor like he can. And the Clippers know it.