Was Kawhi Leonard Trade Eyed by 76ers? Latest NBA Rumors Reveal 'Star Hunting' at Deadline

The Philadelphia 76ers were relatively quiet at the trade deadline last month, but it reportedly wasn't because of a lack of effort.

According to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, "some sources suggest" that Sixers president Daryl Morey was "star hunting" ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline, with Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard "being a name that was connected to Philly."

Obviously, Leonard remained in Los Angeles beyond the trade deadline while Philadelphia watched the Clippers send star guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers, making the path to contention in the Eastern Conference even more difficult for the Sixers.

Rather than landing a star player, Philadelphia sent second-year guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks. McCain averaged 6.6 points in 37 games with the Sixers this season and upped his scoring to 12.5 points per game in 11 appearances with the Thunder.

"Nothing happened," O'Connor said of Philadelphia's star hunting. "So [Joel] Embiid, [Tyrese] Maxey and the team saw McCain get dealt, the tax get ducked, and no pieces brought in to help."

At 33-28, the Sixers rank sixth in the East as the race for the playoffs heats up. Philadelphia fell short of the postseason last year and is surely motivated to rectify that, but it's hard to imagine the team keeping up with the other contenders in the conference after failing to add more star power to the roster.

The Sixers will be trying to stop a two-game skid when they host the Utah Jazz (18-43) on Wednesday night.