Ranking Clippers' Top Trade Targets After 2026 NBA Play-In Loss
The Los Angeles Clippers are confusing.
At least, they look awfully confusing now that they're officially heading into the 2026 NBA offseason.
Because the presence of Kawhi Leonard—and some of the veterans around him—would suggest a wholescale commitment to winning right now, and yet, the franchise made some decidely future-focused deals around the deadline. James Harden and Ivica Zubac were shipped out, while Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin were brought in.
This isn't exactly a two-timeline high-wire act, but it's also not an exhaustive effort to win as big as possible as soon as possible. And that makes calculating the next steps a challenge, but one we're ready and willing to take on here.
3. Draft picks
1 of 3
Again, those deadline deals didn't necessarily plunge this group into a future-focused refresh, but they may have at least been a reaction to the historically ancient roster that preceded them.
L.A. is, as you may have guessed then, light on young, upside-rich talent. That's what annual playoff trips and a decade-plus of winning will do. (The Clippers last finished below .500 in 2010-11.)
Even if there's a hope this organization will hold serious sway with free agents, it needs to start paving more paths to young players. If nothing else, L.A. will need some cost-controlled contributors to offset the spending it does with the rest of its roster.
The Clippers don't need to go fire-sale mode or anything, but they should have their eyes and ears open for possibly expanding their draft pick collection. That would be the obvious focus for any Leonard-focused trade, but it should also be the aim if there's interest in their role-playing veterans.
2. Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans
2 of 3
All due respect to Isaiah Jackson, but the Clippers probably didn't add an adequate replacement when they shipped out Ivica Zubac. They pivoted toward nightly starts for 38-year-old center Brook Lopez, but the shelf life on that strategy can't be long.
Yanic Konan Niederhäuser had some fun moments before a foot injury derailed his freshman season, but L.A. can't be putting all of its eggs into that big-man basket. It should be poking around for alternatives, and Yves Missi might be a sneaky-good one.
He was an All-Rookie second-team performer in 2024-25, and then he saw his minutes slashed after the Pelicans' peculiar decision to overcrowd the center spot. New Orleans can only value Missi so much after feeling the need to trade up for Derik Queen and sign Kevon Looney last summer.
Missi might wind up a lot cheaper than he probably should be. He's your classic rim-runner, and he could be a productive long-term pick-and-roll partner for Darius Garland.
1. Day'Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets
3 of 3
Adding a young—but established—center feels like the roster move to make.
It's not such a glaring need that breaking the bank is warranted, but the potential impact makes it worth whatever Brooklyn would want in return for Day'Ron Sharpe.
You wouldn't imagine the asking price is overwhelming. He is active and generally productive, but he's also a career reserve with five seasons under his belt. He is not an anti-gravity rim-protector, and he isn't a spacer either, giving him one of the trickier skill sets for the modern game.
That said, his rebounding is ferocious, his finishing is typically efficient and his passing keeps picking up. Throw in contagious competitiveness, elite energy and a willingness to play a role, and there's a lot to like about an excellent backup who just might be ready for a starting spot.
