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NBA Insider Gives Update on Clippers' Offseason Trade Plans

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By John Vaccaro | Last updated May 27, 2025 2:48 PM ET

The Los Angeles Clippers proved they have a core that can compete during the 2024-25 NBA season.

Even with Kawhi Leonard missing more than half of the season, the team was able to finish the year with 50 regular season wins behind an All-NBA season from James Harden and an All-Defense season from Ivica Zubac.

Now they just need to find the pieces to fit around that core and will likely need to get themselves involved in the trade market to get some of those pieces.

Luckily, it seems they are ready to go out and get some trades done.

In a guest article for The Stein Line, NBA insider Jake Fischer revealed that the Clippers are expected to be a team to watch on the trade market, but they just want to get a deal done with Harden first.

Be advised, though, that some rival teams expect the Clippers to be a team to watch in the trade market this summer once they get the Harden situation settled.

There are two big things that stand out as needs for the Clippers this offseason.

The first is for them to beef up their front court.

The Clippers had no depth at center behind Zubac. They also didn't have a power forward they could start throughout this past season.

The other thing they need is scoring. They had one of the best defenses in the league this past season, allowing the fourth-least points in the NBA.

Their offense wasn't quite as effective. The Clippers finished 20th in the league at 112.9 points scored per game.

If they're going to take the next step as a contender in the Western Conference during the 2025-26 season, the Clippers are going to need to address both of these needs and it sounds like they're ready to do so this offseason.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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