Shortly after Kawhi Leonard avoided discussing his future, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank made it clear the organization still intends to move forward with him as its centerpiece, per Kris Rhim of ESPN.com.
“Our plan is to win with Kawhi,” Frank said. “We obviously showed as an organization that we want to continue and we are driven to win. So, at the appropriate time, we’ll sit down with Kawhi, and very similar to 2024, lay out our plan. And if our goals are aligned, then we’d like to win with Kawhi.”
Leonard is heading into the final year of his contract, scheduled to earn $50.3 million in 2026/27, and will have the option this offseason to agree to a two-year extension.
According to Rhim, the Clippers took significant steps to reshape the roster at the trade deadline, dealing James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland and sending Ivica Zubac to Indiana in a package that brought back Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and two first-round picks.
Frank expressed confidence those decisions have strengthened the team’s long-term outlook.
“I think we do have great hope and optimism with our future,” he said. “Because as we build that bridge from competitive to contender, we’ve put ourselves in a very good position with emerging young players, draft capital and cap space going forward.”
Clippers Notes: Kawhi, Lue, Investigation, Garland, Offseason https://t.co/SPnKAgs3zu pic.twitter.com/V4IsDLJslU
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 18, 2026
