The LA Clippers trade to make them dangerous once Kawhi Leonard returns, last roll of the dice

The Los Angeles Clippers are in no man’s land. They are treading water until Kawhi Leonard returns from injury when they still won’t be a good team.

The Clippers are 11th in the Western Conference with a 3-4 record despite some remarkable individual performances.

Shooting guard Norman Powell (24.9 points per game) is probably the NBA’s Most Improved Player at this early stage and Ivica Zubac (17.4 ppg) is not far behind.

And Tyronn Lue’s team will certainly improve when Leonard eventually comes back but not enough to make them a playoff threat.

But one last roll of the dice could be enough to turn the Clippers into a solid team that nobody wants to face.

• LA Clippers receive: Kyle Kuzma
• Washington Wizards receive: P.J. Tucker, Nicolas Batum, Bones Hyland, Clippers 1st (2030), Clippers 2nd (2031)

The Clippers’ lack of trade assets has been well-documented. They have no promising young talent and only one movable first round draft pick.

Some might say this is a reason to enter rebuild mode but owner Steve Ballmer has just opened the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome so he is desperate for a competitive team.

P.J. Tucker (who has requested a trade), Bones Hyland and Nicolas Batum (who cannot be traded until December 15) are three players who are not important to Lue’s rotation.

They make up a combined $20.3 million in annual salary which is enough to return a quality starter, such as Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards.

Of course, the Clippers would have to throw in a first – and probably a second – but Kuzma is about as good of a third or fourth scoring option as there is in the NBA.

The 29-year-old has championship experience with the Los Angeles Lakers and would round out a potentially dangerous Clippers starting five when fully healthy.

Unfortunately for the Wizards, they do not own their first round pick in 2025 so there is not an immediate need to get worse.

But it still makes no sense to keep Kuzma on the roster because he will inevitably take shots away from youngsters like Bilal Coulibaly and Alexandre Sarr.

Bones Hyland is a serviceable NBA guard, but the main reason to accept the trade is to build up more draft capital to ensure a brighter future.

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