The Los Angeles Clippers‘ season ended with a Play-In Tournament loss to the Golden State Warriors, wasting Kawhi Leonard’s incredible regular-season performance, during which he carried the team to a 42-40 record after they fell 15 games under .500 in December. Despite averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists over the season, it wasn’t enough to help the Clippers climb up the standings.
With the Clippers making future-thinking trades by acquiring Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin during the winter, many have speculated that this is Leonard’s final season with the franchise. With a potential punishment over the Aspiration scandal also expected in the offseason, it seems this is the perfect time for Leonard and the Clippers to move on from each other.
Kawhi Leonard has proven that he can still impact winning at the highest level, so his availability would spark widespread interest. However, it seems one of the best destinations for Leonard might be in the Eastern Conference with the reigning No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons.
ESPN shared multiple potential summer trade offers that could entice the Clippers into moving on from Leonard, featuring a fascinating three-team trade with the Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.
Proposed Trade Details
Detroit Pistons Receive: Kawhi Leonard
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Ron Holland, Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, 2027 first-round pick (DET), 2029 first-round pick (DET), 2031 second-round pick (MEM)
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Paul Reed
Grizzlies inclusion is marginal to add second-round pick compensation to the deal, sending Pistons’ backup center Paul Reed to Memphis. Outside of that, this would be a major deal for both franchises and their long-term futures.
Kawhi Leonard Might Be The Perfect Co-Star Next To Cade Cunningham
One of the biggest reasons the Pistons fell to a 3-1 series deficit against the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic is that they had no supplemental offensive production. around Cade Cunningham.
Cunningham is averaging 32.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.0 assists, and will need to put the Pistons on his back, as he did with a 45-point performance in Game 5, to ensure they can win this series. He needs help from an offensive star who can thrive next to his point guard play while fitting into the Pistons’ defensive system. Leonard is perfect for that.
While Leonard isn’t the Defensive Player of the Year caliber player he was in his prime, he’s still one of the most impactful wing defenders in the NBA. The Pistons have built an identity on strong defense, but a lot of their defensive talent can’t hold their own on offense. Kawhi Leonard is the perfect bridge that allows the Pistons to retain their defensive prowess while adding one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. Detroit had the second-best defensive rating (104.1 DFRTG) in the NBA this season.
Outside of Ron Holland, none of the outgoing pieces were going to be long-term players on the Pistons. Holland is a high-potential defensive wing prospect, but the presence and emergence of Ausar Thompson make it unlikely that the Pistons have use for both of them. Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson are expiring veterans who could be useful contracts for the Clippers, while the outgoing first-round picks should likely cover the prime of what a hypothetical Cunningham-Leonard duo looks like in Detroit.
Clippers Continue Acquiring Assets For Their New Generation
It’s hard for the Clippers to realistically expect a star in return for Leonard, given his age, injury history, and the circumstances that might surround a summer exit if it comes to pass. This would be a great return for Leonard, but with some major question marks.
LeVert averaged 7.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over the regular season, while Robinson continued to shine as one of the league’s best shooters with 12.2 points on 41.0% from three. LeVert would likely play out the final year of his contract as a bench player on the Clippers, while Robinson might have enough value to flip for additional assets in return. Neither would figure into the long-term plans of the franchise, as it’s hard to imagine them being long-term pieces while playing the same position as Mathurin.
Holland is the prize piece here, as the 20-year-old forward is a high-potential prospect who hasn’t been able to break out just yet. He averaged xxx last season, showing that he has the potential to be an All-Defensive selection one day. Unfortunately, he has a lot to develop offensively, which is why it was hard for him to get consistent minutes on a Pistons squad that already had such poor shooting across the team. The Clippers can give him the developmental space he needs to fulfill his potential.
The first-round picks likely won’t develop into much if everyone’s healthy, but one Leonard injury could boost their odds of getting something good out of the future Pistons picks. They also don’t have favorable draft assets in the next few years anyway, so these will be extremely valuable to the franchise.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to see why the Clippers would accept this package as currently constructed. Other teams might be more desperate to make a star acquisition like Kawhi Leonard. These include the likes of the Miami Heat, who might be able to offer more tangible pieces to the Clippers and outbid Detroit. Even if Leonard is a distressed asset right now, his production will create a strong market around him.
This is a good first offer, and it’s hard to see the player compensation getting any better than what this mock trade lays out. However, the pick price might have to increase to put this offer over the top. Whether it’s adding additional picks or sending out picks later in the future, which would convey after Leonard’s potential tenure with the Pistons, is unclear, but two first-round picks in the next three years are not as appetizing a pick package as other teams could have in store.
This would be a great deal for Detroit to set itself up for contending in the immediate future. Unfortunately, it does seem like it’s a package that’s too good to be true right now. But it definitely is a package that can lead to an agreeable package for both sides.
