Kawhi Leonard may be reuniting with his former co-star Paul George.
The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to add LA Clippers star forward Leonard at the trade deadline, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports report came on Wednesday. O’Connor says 76ers president Daryl Morey was “star hunting” and “actively calling” but apparently nothing happened on that front before the deadline.
Leonard, now 34, is currently having a banner year for the Clippers. He averaged a career-high 27.8 points per game on an unprecedented 50/38/90 shooting splits and as a result he was able to earn the seventh NBA All-Star selection of his career.
But Leonard faces a very uncertain situation in the summer. He is under contract for only one more season in 2026-27 ($50.3 million), and the Clippers may be looking to rebuild after trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac at last month’s deadline.
As for the 76ers, they are on the verge of contention at 33-28 and have an aging roster that needs to win sooner than later. The connection also comes as Leonard co-starred with 76ers forward George on the Clippers from 2019-24 and was coached by 76ers head coach Nick Nurse on the Toronto Raptors when they won the NBA title in 2019. Additionally, the 76ers and Clippers have been linked in several trades in recent years, most notably the blockbuster 2023 deal that sent James Harden to the Los Angeles Lakers. Angeles.
However, when it comes to a renewed offseason pursuit of Leonard, Philadelphia may not realistically have much to trade. George and (arguably) Joel Embiid are negative assets right now due to their bloated contracts, and young stars Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are potentially untouchable for the 76ers. Additionally, there is a possibility that Leonard’s contract with the Clippers could be voided in the coming weeks due to the Aspiration scandal, making him a free agent immediately and Put one of these teams as a more likely destination instead.
