New Kawhi Leonard Rumors Reveal Teams Were ‘Investigating’ Trade with Clippers at 2026 NBA Deadline

Even though Kawhi Leonard remained with the Los Angeles Clippers after the trade deadline, opposing clubs did have some level of interest in the two-time NBA Finals MVP.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 27:55 mark), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said teams were “investigating” the possibility of a Leonard trade in the wake of the Clippers moving James Harden and Ivica Zubac:

“As soon as they traded Harden, I checked on Zubac. And the answer that I heard was, I didn’t hear no. And so for two days I was like, ‘I think Zubac is going to go.’ And he did. And I said, ‘If Zubac is going to go, what about Kawhi?’ Vince, you’re talking about teams investigating Kawhi. Trust me, they did. I believe there were trade talks with Kawhi. I don’t know if anything ever got serious. But I know teams called.”

When it became apparent the Clippers were going with a teardown of their core, it seemed at least seemed like a possibility Leonard could be traded. His situation is a little more complicated than Harden or Zubac.

Harden is in the final guaranteed season of his current contract. Zubac is only 28 with two more years remaining on his team-friendly three-year, $58.7 million extension signed in August 2024.

Leonard is making $50 million this season, making it very difficult to fit his salary onto the books for many teams that would seem to be interested.

It’s also hard to ascertain what kind of value the Clippers might seek in return for trading Leonard. His injury history is well-documented, but he is also in the midst of arguably the best season of his career.

The six-time All-Star is averaging a career-high 27.9 points on 49.1 percent shooting (38.3 percent from three), 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 41 starts.

Leonard does become a lot more interesting as a trade target in the summer because next season marks the final year of his current contract. There would seem to be a lot of teams ready and willing to take on a $50.3 million expiring contract, especially if he continues to play at an All-NBA level for the remainder of this season.

If the Clippers want to move forward with a full-scale rebuild, trading Leonard would be the final step for them after dealing Harden and Zubac.

Leonard’s play could also convince them to build around him, especially since they have valuable draft assets from the Indiana Pacers that could be used in trades to add star-level talent around Leonard.