The Los Angeles Clippers are in a tough spot after a sluggish start to the 2025–26 season, currently sitting outside the playoff picture while their unprotected first-round pick is set to go to Oklahoma City.
One possible path is to effectively punt on the season and reshape their roster for 2026 by exploring trades for James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
Around the league, Harden is viewed as the more tradable star. As one East scout put it, “James has maybe neutral value,” while adding, “Kawhi has negative value.”
Harden carries a $42 million player option for 2026–27, compared with Leonard’s $50 million salary, and Harden has been both healthier and more consistently productive.
Leonard’s injury history, coupled with the NBA’s ongoing investigation into his Aspiration endorsement deal, makes moving him significantly more complicated.
The Clippers have been eyeing the 2027 offseason to reset their core, with numerous star free agents expected to hit the market. Only Ivica Zubac has guaranteed money for 2027–28.
One assistant GM noted the flexibility this could give them, saying, “There are a lot of ways to use cap space, and if they don’t believe in this core they could really turn their team over in a year if they got flexibility,” adding, “You look at what they figured out in Phoenix. They had a team that was too old and turned over that roster and it changed their entire outlook.”
Los Angeles could also trim about $6.7 million in salary to slide under the luxury-tax line and avoid repeater penalties, adding another incentive to reconsider their current direction.
James Harden Has 'Neutral Value', Kawhi Leonard 'Negative' If Clippers Explore Trades https://t.co/ZFhGCZGlv4
— RealGM (@RealGM) December 5, 2025
