Kawhi Leonard
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The Sixers reportedly attempted to pull off a trade with the Clippers involving Kawhi Leonard
The Philadelphia 76ers, much to the dismay of their fans, had a fairly quiet trade deadline. Their two moves of note saw them trade away Jared McCain and Eric Gordon, with no key players coming back the other way. However, according to some recent rumors, it sounds like Sixers’ general manager Daryl Morey made an effort to pull off a stunning blockbuster trade.
While Philly already has a star trio featuring Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George, they still only sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference currently. As a result, they led Morey to check in on Los Angeles Clippers‘ superstar Kawhi Leonard ahead of the deadline, in the hopes of swinging a stunning deal.
Sixers Tried to Pull Off Kawhi Leonard Trade
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Daryl Morey was reportedly looking to add Kawhi Leonard to the Sixers at the deadline, per @KevinOConnor
“Executives have said that the Sixers were actively making calls pre-deadline, though nothing seemed remotely close. Some sources suggest that Morey was star hunting with
Ahead of the trade deadline, the Clippers embarked on a fire sale of sorts. The front office opted to unload key players like James Harden and Ivica Zubac, but they never seemed to be interested in moving on from Leonard, who is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career as the focal point of the team’s offense (27.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 49.6 FG%).
Even with Maxey, Embiid, and George leading the way, the results haven’t always been what the Sixers were hoping for this season. Embiid has continued to deal with his ongoing injury issues, while George is serving a 25-game suspension after he violated the NBA’s performance-enhancing drug policy. That has placed a big burden on Maxey’s shoulders, as he’s leading the NBA with 38.3 minutes per game.
With that in mind, Morey decided to check in on Leonard ahead of the trade deadline in an effort to see if the Clippers were open to moving off of him. And while nothing came to be here, these trade deadline conversations could be worth revisiting once the offseason rolls around in a couple of months.
“Executives have said that the Sixers were actively making calls pre-deadline, though nothing seemed remotely close,” Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports recently reported. “Some sources suggest that Morey was star hunting with Kawhi Leonard being a name that was connected to Philly. But nothing happened. So Embiid, Maxey and the team saw McCain get dealt, the tax get ducked, and no pieces brought in to help.”
Sixers Could Try to Trade for Kawhi Leonard Over the Offseason
Kawhi Leonard
GettyKawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers.
What the future holds for Leonard in Los Angeles is unknown. While he’s remained fairly quiet on the team’s trade deadline dealings, it’s been hard to ignore the fairly negative stance Leonard has taken on the team’s decision-making. As he begins to approach the end of his career, it’s not out of the picture to suggest that Leonard could look to force his way to a contending team this upcoming offseason.
The fact that the 76ers showed interest in Leonard at the trade deadline indicates that these trade talks could be revisited over the offseason. Whether or not that happens, though, will likely depend on how the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign unfolds for both teams. After getting annihilated by the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, Philadelphia will look to get back in the win column when it squares off against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.