The LA Clippers have made it out of the first round of the playoffs just twice in the last decade, despite having some of the league’s top talent come through recently. 48 games into the 2024-25, the Clippers are looking as complete as they have seen, with a 26-19 record and hopes of finally breaking past the first round of the postseason.

With February’s trade deadline approaching, the Clippers must decide on how to best build around stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden while they still can.

Leonard has played just seven games this season as he returns from injury, but LA is 6-1 when he is active. With the NBA’s second-best defensive rating, the ceiling is very high for this Clippers squad.

The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer reported about the Clippers’ trade deadline plans, suggesting the front office wants to play it safe with their money.

“The Clippers, according to league sources, are still keen on keeping their books clean, indicating to rival front offices that they are reluctant to bring back any long-term salary in any potential trade activity over the remaining 12 days of NBA Trade Season,” reported Fischer. “The Clippers appear to be setting themselves up to try to truly capitalize on owner Steve Ballmer’s well-chronicled willingness to spend and the allure of their shiny new Intuit Dome home when Leonard’s tenure concludes.”

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has invested a lot of money and time into making this LA franchise separate from their cross-town rivals. Building around superstar Kawhi Leonard has fallen short during his six-year tenure, and time is likely running out for the injury-prone 33-year-old. This year’s trade deadline will be a huge one for the Clippers.

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