The Los Angeles Clippers have received interest in a trade involving superstar Kawhi Leonard in recent times. One of those teams is the Miami Heat.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, if the Heat strikeout once again in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, their next target will be Kawhi Leonard.
“Should Miami be turned down again in its quest to strike a trade for Giannis, the franchise will turn its attention to another top-tier name who will come up in offseason trade chatter: Kawhi Leonard,” the insider wrote.
Heat Continues to Look for Franchise Player After End of 2025-26 Season
The Miami Heat have once again struck out in the postseason. After an overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday, their season has officially ended.
It was the fourth year in a row that Miami has landed in the Play-In, and the first time the franchise has missed the playoffs since the 2018-19 season. The Heat may need to reset their roster to insert their name back into contender talks.
This doesn’t mean that the Heat hasn’t been trying. In recent years, they have been in discussions about acquiring players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Damian Lillard, but nothing has come of it.
Miami will be in the mix, once again, for Antetokounmpo this offseason. However, if this plan doesn’t pan out, Kawhi Leonard will be a potential second option.
Letting go of Kawhi Leonard, who’s been with Los Angeles for the past six seasons, isn’t what his current team has in mind.
“The Clippers would prefer to keep Leonard alongside Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin, the superstar forward and his camp will give consideration to his future this summer,” Brett Siegel reported.
Leonard, 34, is coming off a career year with the Los Angeles Clippers. In 65 games this season, the Clippers superstar averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game while adding 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals.
He is eligible for end-of-season awards and could be on the verge of getting selected to his seventh All-NBA Team. It would be his first since the 2020-21 season.
What Would Miami’s Roster Look Like With Kawhi Leonard?
In a trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Miami Heat have labeled Bam Adebayo as the only player off-limits, reports have said.
If Miami keeps its word on a deal involving Kawhi Leonard, players like Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, and Jaime Jaquez Jr, along with draft capital, could be in the package going to Los Angeles.
It’s worth noting that Andrew Wiggins was also brought up in trade talks at February’s trade deadline.
Norman Powell is set to become a free agent this offseason. It’s uncertain whether or not he will come back to the Heat after seemingly falling out of the rotation at the end of the season. In the Heat’s Play-In loss to the Hornets, Powell logged 11 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in just 19 minutes of action.
From all of this information, a trade that sends the Clippers superstar to Miami would potentially make their core lineup look like Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, Kawhi Leonard, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo.
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