New Report on LA Clippers' Offseason Trade Plans

“I love the game," Leonard said. "I have a passion for it still. I love to compete out there. That’s pretty much what drives me back. Everything has its ups and downs. You have to go through that in life and just keep going.”

Beyond Leonard, LA has James Harden as its secondary star. Both players were integral to the Clippers' postseason push, and according to Jake Fischer, keeping them together will be the likely course of action for Lawrence Frank and co.

"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," Fischer wrote. "LA indeed has some tradeable contracts on its books ... But first things first: A contract that lines Harden up with Leonard, who is signed through 2026-27, certainly looms as a very plausible outcome."

Harden logged his eighth All-NBA nod this season, joining Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton, Detroit's Cade Cunningham, New York's Karl-Anthony Towns, and Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams.

As strong as Harden performed next to Leonard, keeping him around may not be as easy as it seems. Not even Leonard had the answer at the end of the season. “I don’t know right now," the forward said. "I guess we’re still playing at a high level, in a sense. But that’s a hard question to answer right now.”