The Los Angeles Clippers are running out of patience. NBA insider Chris Haynes said this week that if Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers do not agree on an extension, the team will look to trade him. The clock is ticking. Free agency opens June 30.
“If an extension is not worked out, I expect the Clippers to look to move Kawhi,” Haynes said Tuesday. “I don’t expect that he will stay and play on an expiring deal.” That last part is the line that matters. The Clippers are not interested in losing Leonard for nothing next summer.
Leonard is heading into the final year of a three year, $149.5 million contract. He has played at a high level when healthy, but availability has been a recurring theme. The Clippers have invested everything around him for the better part of a decade, including building a brand new arena. The window is closing on getting any real return on that investment if he walks.
The Aspiration scandal looms over all of this. The ongoing NBA investigation into the financial relationship between Leonard, his uncle, and the now bankrupt company has not produced a public finding. It has produced a lot of awkward questions. Until that situation resolves, the Clippers will be operating with limited information about whether Leonard might face league discipline.
The trade market is interesting. Last summer Bobby Marks said that one of Leonard’s former teams might come calling. That leaves Toronto and San Antonio as the most logical options. Both make some sense. The Raptors are rebuilding around Scottie Barnes and could use a star to short circuit that process. The Spurs already have Victor Wembanyama and could view Leonard as a one year rental to get over the top.
The Golden State Warriors are the more talked about destination. They have been linked to Leonard publicly multiple times and they have a clear motivation. Steve Kerr just signed a new two year deal. Steph Curry is closer to the end than the beginning. Adding Leonard would give Golden State another championship run before the roster has to be reshaped around Jonathan Kuminga and the next generation.
The financial math is tricky. Leonard’s expiring contract carries a big number. The Clippers would likely need a star caliber player back to make the trade work under the second apron rules. That narrows the list of possible partners considerably. The Warriors could pull it off with the right combination of players and picks. Most teams cannot.
The Clippers themselves are in transition. They moved James Harden at the last deadline. They are getting younger around Leonard. If they cannot extend him, the only logical move is to sell while there is still value. Standing pat and watching him leave in free agency would be a disaster for a front office that has already missed too many opportunities.
Leonard has the leverage here. He can pick where he wants to be next. If he likes the look of the Clippers’ young core and the new arena, he signs the extension and ends the speculation. If he is open to a fresh start, the Clippers will get on the phone with the Warriors and start building a package.
The next 72 hours will set the tone for the entire NBA offseason. The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade already reshaped the East. Leonard could reshape the West. Either way, the Clippers will not be quiet.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
