Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was connected to the Philadelphia 76ers at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, according to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports.
The Clippers traded James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers. Many people around the NBA thought Leonard would get moved as well, but the future Hall of Famer stayed in Los Angeles.
The Sixers traded Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder at this year’s deadline. No one saw that move coming.
“I ain’t gonna lie and say I don’t miss Jared,” Sixers star Tyrese Maxey said. “But I’m happy for him. The trade deadline was difficult. That’s something that we have to put in the rearview mirror.”
The Sixers are in sixth place in the East, while the Clippers are in ninth place in the West.
Leonard turns 35 in June. The swingman will make $50.3 million next season in the final year of his contract.
The Clippers signed Leonard in the offseason of 2019. Leonard’s stint with LAC has been disappointing, as the franchise hasn’t reached the NBA Finals and Leonard hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
If the NBA finds the Clippers guilty of circumventing the salary cap for Leonard, the forward’s contract could get voided and he would become an unrestricted free agent and free to sign with any team of his choice.
A company called Aspiration allegedly paid Leonard $48 million for a no-show job intended to circumvent the NBA salary cap. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested $10 million in Aspiration in March 2023. The billionaire had invested $50 million in Aspiration 18 months prior.
Ballmer introduced Aspiration to Leonard in November 2021, three months after the Clippers had agreed to a four-year, $173 million extension with Leonard. Two months earlier, in September 2021, the Clippers announced a lucrative $300 million partnership with Aspiration.
Aspiration paid Leonard $1.7 million days after Clippers minority owner Dennis J. Wong made an almost $2 million investment in the company. This took place in December 2022. Leonard also got $20 million in Aspiration shares directly from co-founder Joe Sanberg.
Ballmer and the Clippers invested $118 million in Aspiration in 18 months. LAC’s chief financial officer signed off on a $21 million payment from the team to fund various carbon projects for Aspiration in June 2022. The $21 million was enough for Leonard’s first quarterly payment as part of his no-show endorsement deal with Aspiration. It also hit Aspiration’s fundraising target.
Pablo Torre of Pablo Torre Finds Out broke this story last offseason. He reported that Ballmer donated $1.875 million to Aspiration 1.5 years after the Clippers deal ended and Leonard was also personally guaranteed another $20 million in Aspiration equity.
Kawhi Leonard is a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He was named a top 75 player of all time in 2021. The California native holds career averages of 20.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game with the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Clippers.
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