Clippers likely to revisit Kawhi Leonard trade inquiries after season

Kawhi Leonard wasn’t moved at the NBA trade deadline. That doesn’t mean teams didn’t try.

According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Clippers received multiple trade inquiries for Leonard in the final hour before Thursday’s deadline, particularly after word spread that Los Angeles had agreed to send Ivica Zubac to Indiana.

The calls came in. The Clippers listened. And ultimately, they said no.

For now.

League sources tell Stein that Leonard is expected to resurface in trade talks this offseason, when teams will once again test the Clippers’ resolve.

Leonard has one season remaining on his contract at $50.3 million before becoming a free agent, and that timeline matters.

Leonard turns 35 in June and, when healthy, has quietly played some of the best basketball of his Clippers tenure this season. But health has always been the caveat.

Since signing with Los Angeles in 2019, Leonard and the Clippers have never reached the NBA Finals, and his availability has often defined the franchise more than its ambitions.

The Clippers already reshaped their roster at the deadline, moving on from James Harden and Zubac while choosing to hang onto Leonard as the anchor.

That decision suggests a short-term commitment, even if the long-term picture remains unsettled.

Come June, with Leonard entering the final year of his deal and teams armed with more flexibility, the phone is expected to ring again.

This time, the Clippers’ answer may not be as easy.