NBA Exec Talks Clippers' Trade Strategy Amid Struggles, Owed Draft Pick to Thunder

Even though they wouldn't enjoy the full fruits of a rebuild right away, some NBA team officials believe the Los Angeles Clippers should begin looking toward the future, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Oklahoma City Thunder control the Clippers' 2026 first-round pick and have swap rights in 2027. One executive nonetheless told Charania it might be time for Los Angeles to "better position themselves for the next five years."

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"Many in the league are waiting to see whether L.A. is open to shifting to the bigger picture," Charania wrote.

Colleagues Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst mapped out multiple paths for the 6-18 Clippers moving forward, one of which included parting ways with stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Bontemps wrote how "different executives I spoke to this week both praised and excoriated the idea of the Clippers implementing that strategy."

Beyond the fact the Clippers are sending their 2026 first-rounder to Oklahoma City, the markets for Harden and Leonard may not be that robust.

"The feedback from league insiders has been that, while a team would take on Harden, it may be more difficult to find a landing spot for Leonard because of his injury and the Aspiration case still ongoing," Bontemps reported.

Leonard is averaging 25.4 points on 49.2 percent shooting along with 5.5 rebounds and three assists, but he missed 10 games in November with ankle and foot injuries. When he's going to make $50.3 million in 2026-27, even doing a pure salary dump is complicated from the Clippers' perspective.

Chasing a championship has provided diminishing returns from the moment Los Angeles added Leonard and Paul George in 2019. The odds of reaching the 2026 playoffs are already low.

A lot of teams in the Clippers' position would begin tearing down the roster, no matter how much short-term pain that brought. Team governor Steve Ballmer might not want to throw in the towel just yet.