Given that the playoffs are a real test for the teams participating, the Houston Rockets are currently on the verge of failing. They came away with a game four win, but lost three straight prior. With another loss, Houston will be in the offseason early, searching for a way to keep Kevin Durant happy and in place, after just extending him mid-October.
The way to please Durant? Acquire arguably the best player on the trade block this summer in Kawhi Leonard, a move that didn't seem ideal weeks ago, and fight next season to win the Rockets’ third title in franchise history.
Though fans of the LA Clippers have long dreamed of the Leonard-Durant pairing, for reasons as obvious as can be, they certainly won’t mind if the seven-time all-star moves to the Rockets as long as they pay a hefty price.
Fortunately for Houston, if there’s one team that can afford the Clippers’ asks, it’s them.
Kawhi Leonard to the Houston Rockets is realistic, but it’ll cost them
The thought of trading Kawhi Leonard is already in the mind of Lawrence Frank. In fact, Frank is probably curating routes to secure the LA Clippers a stronger future as we speak, with one of them being receiving a haul for Leonard.
The Houston Rockets could easily provide that for the Clippers. While they may not have any first-round picks in the upcoming draft, which is what Frank is most focused on acquiring, given how generational the class is, Houston still has youngsters like Alperen Sengun, Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr., who will attract LA.
Any one of them, or a combination, plus future draft assets, is right up the Clippers’ alley in terms of the package they’re looking to get in return for their franchise superstar.
One might argue that it is in Houston’s best interest to move on from Kevin Durant, preserving the core they took years to piece together through pinpoint, spot-on draft picks.
That’s certainly fair, and it’s safe to say the Rockets will consider it. But, in the grand scheme of things, a superstar tandem of Leonard and Durant, with a solid supporting cast, has more potential to go all the way in the years ahead than likely anything they’ll be able to build.
Therefore, making a run at Leonard is wise, and in the coming days, fans of the H-Town will see why, especially if the Rockets go out sad.
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