:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72400496/1245746399.0.jpg "NBA trade rumors: Will Clippers extend Kawhi Leonard and Paul George or break up duo?")
The Los Angeles Clippers were briefly part of a three-team trade in which they would've gotten Malcolm Brogdon in the backcourt to shore up the guard rotation, but they ultimately backed out of the deal due to health concerns surrounding the Celtics guard. The Clippers have much bigger health concerns to deal with as the 2023-24 league year gets set to kick in, and those concerns are with their superstar duo Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Leonard and George teamed up in the summer of 2019, creating what many around the league believed the best star tandem. The forwards cost the Clippers most of their draft picks for the foreseeable future, and reshaped the organization's focus towards a constant search for improvement on the fringes. LA has surrounding Leonard and George with a group of competent, versatile players but it's the star duo which has not been able to deliver for the franchise.
In four seasons with the team, Leonard has not played 60 or more games in a single season. He sat out the entire 2021-22 season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the 2020-21 playoffs. The Clippers have made accommodations for him in terms of load management, allowing him to sit on back-to-back sets and take some days off. However, that strategy was accepted with the belief Leonard would then be at 100% for the postseason. Leonard has played in 26 playoff games for the Clippers across three postseasons, suffering injuries in two of those runs.
George has broken down as well, which was the more unexpected development. He has played more than 55 games just once in four seasons, but he was usually reliable for the playoffs. George has played in 32 playoff games in two postseasons, and would've built on that number if not for a bad knee injury ahead of the 2023 playoffs.
It's reasonable for the Clippers to believe they can win a title when both players are healthy. Three of their five games against the Suns were decided by two possessions, with LA winning one. It's not far-fetched to think the team could've pushed that series to the brink and even won if Leonard and George were on the floor. There's been some bad luck as well, with the Clippers blowing multiple double-digit leads in their 3-1 collapse in the bubble. George was ruled out of a play-in game due to COVID-19, costing the team that postseason run as well.
On the flip side, George is 33 entering the 2023-24 season. Leonard will be 32. Both have $48.7 million player options for the 2024-25 year, which means they can both be free agents barring long-term extensions with LA. The Clippers won't want to part ways with them but there has to be some sort of acknowledgement when it comes to games missed. If there's no agreement or compromise, that opens up the trade market for both players.
The Clippers have already had talks surrounding George with the Knicks, although nothing materialized from that conversation per reports. Leonard's trade value is more tricky, largely because he's been less healthy. The Knicks, Heat, Pelicans and Hawks would all be good fits for either player, and both have the assets to make a deal. We'll see how the Clippers handle their stars in the coming months.