The Clippers may be struggling, but they are not selling. Not yet.
According to NBA sources who spoke with Ashish Mathur of DallasHoopsJournal, Los Angeles is rejecting trade inquiries for Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac, despite sitting at 6-20 and near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
The reasoning is simple. The Clippers do not control their 2026 first-round pick, which belongs to Oklahoma City, and blowing up the roster would only benefit the Thunder. Instead, team officials believe there is still a path forward, even if it is a narrow one.
Sources told Mathur that the Clippers remain hopeful they can push for a play-in spot once forward Derrick Jones Jr. returns from a knee injury. That optimism exists even as the numbers paint a bleak picture.
Los Angeles ranks near the bottom of the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency and sits 27th in points scored per game.
Leonard continues to produce when available. He is earning $50 million this season and is averaging 25.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 16 games while shooting efficiently across the board.
Harden, making $39.2 million, has been productive as well, posting 26.0 points and 8.1 assists per game in 25 appearances.
Zubac has been one of the team’s most consistent contributors, averaging 16.2 points and 11.5 rebounds while shooting better than 61 percent from the field.
Still, production has not translated to wins.
The Clippers have not missed the playoffs since 2022, but the Leonard era has largely failed to meet expectations.
Since signing Leonard in 2019, the franchise has reached the Western Conference Finals just once. The most infamous moment remains the 2020 bubble collapse, when Los Angeles blew a 3-1 series lead to Denver in the second round.
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