The Clippers franchise is in shambles due to their abysmal 5-15 start to this season. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden have voiced their concerns over the situation being “difficult” and the team needing “more talent.”
But the harsh truth here seems to be that the situation has become irretrievable in the locker room, and the franchise should consider blowing it up. That’s the common perception among experts and analysts that the Clippers should trade everyone and rebuild from scratch or at least trade their superstars to get some assets.
Among the experts who agree with this opinion is Danny Green, the three-time NBA champion. Green recently spoke about the Clippers’ situation following the comments from Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, and strongly supported that they should trade everyone, including their superstars.
“I was trying to find a word, a nice way to say how terrible [the franchise has been],” said Green on his ‘No Fouls Given’ podcast with Paul Pierce and Big Wos.
“I kind of feel bad for him,” says Green while watching Harden’s comments on the situation being “difficult” in the Clippers franchise. “I feel bad for James. James got traded there. He thought he was going to play with Kawhi and a certain company. They had a good year last year.”
“And he’s never missed the playoffs. I don’t think he’s ever missed the playoffs. I could be mistaken, but I know up until like 15 years, he’s always been in the playoffs. This will be the first year in 17 years,” said Green as he predicted that the Clippers would not make the playoffs this season.
The former NBA veteran thus indicated that even Harden does not seem happy on the Clippers anymore and hence claims that he should be traded before losing all trade value since he’s on the tail end of the prime of his career and may never be in a better position to compete for a championship.
Green went on to highlight by reading Harden’s body language that he is clearly frustrated with his championship potential on a team that can barely make the playoffs now. The former NBA player then addressed Kawhi Leonard and the situation with the rest of the roster.
He suggested that the Clippers should trade everyone on their roster, including Leonard and Harden. It was at this point that Pierce interjected and pointed out how trading away your superstars could be extra costly for the Clippers, who have just built a new arena and need the revenue.
“They got to they got to blow everything to try to get something back,” suggested Green. “So, who do you trade?” responded Pierce.
“Everybody,” says Green confidently. “You can’t trade Kawhi,” says Pierce.
“Why the f**k not? You could trade anybody. Man, listen. You got a new building. You still have to sell some tickets. You’re not giving them up just to anybody,” explained Pierce.
“I mean, at this point right now, you’re not getting anybody in the building anyway. Give a damn who’s on the squad. They are losing every game, it looks like,” Green further added.
Green believes that now is the best time to blow up the roster, as by the end of the season, their assets will further fall in value, and if they are too late, they risk getting nothing in return for their superstars. A $2 billion investment to build an arena does not mean a franchise should blindly sacrifice its future.
The worst part for a struggling team like the Clippers is that their first-round picks for the next two seasons essentially belong to the OKC Thunder: the 2026 unprotected first-round pick and the 2027 unprotected first-round swap.
Effectively, the defending champions own the struggling Clippers’ draft assets for the next two seasons, and thus, tanking with this team is not an option for the Clippers to revive their future.
Meanwhile, the league is worried about the draft assets that the Thunder have accumulated. They have four first-round picks for the 2026 Draft (including assets from the Rockets and 76ers), and if the season ended today, three of them could be lottery picks.
In my opinion, the Clippers should listen to Green and try to trade their superstars before it is too late. They might still fetch multiple first-round picks, but with age, the possibility of that happening reduces.
With reference to Paul Pierce’s objection, I once again agree with Danny Green here, as if the Clippers don’t start becoming a winning team again, then the revenues will naturally suffer losses due to a lack of local fans wanting to support a struggling franchise.