Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Would Clippers star consider joining 76ers next offseason?

Originally posted on Game 7 | By Jennifer Withers Hoey | Last updated 9/21/23

ESPN's Brian Windhorst spoke out this week on rumors of Kawhi Leonard possibly being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

During an appearance on his "Hoops Collective" podcast, Windhorst delved into the contract situations of both Leonard and Paul George. Specifically, he addressed the fact that both guys have player options in 2024-25 for nearly $50 million. After that they are unrestricted free agents.

How does Philly factor in to all this? Well, if the Clippers feel like extension talks aren’t going the way they would like, theoretically the Sixers could enter the equation as a potential trade destination.

“The Clippers are not without leverage here on Paul and Kawhi,” Windhorst said. “As far as I know, those guys want to be in Los Angeles. And so if they opt out and become free agents, I guess somebody could go after them; you know Philadelphia has positioned themselves to be a big free agent player.

“I guess Philadelphia could swoop in and go after Paul or Kawhi. Are they going to Philly or some place like that? Maybe it’s not the worst set of risk factors for the Clippers to play it out.”

This isn’t the first time over the past month that Windhorst has addressed Leonard’s future with the Clippers. You never want to read too much into September NBA rumors, but where there is this much smoke over something, generally there is fire.

The next few months promise to be interesting.

Will the Clippers and Leonard be able to get on the same page about he future? Time will tell, and if the answer proves to be no, it will be fascinating to see if Windhorst’s 76ers prediction comes into play.

This article first appeared on Game 7 and was syndicated with permission.

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