Clippers Fire Sale!? Inside the Sudden Tear‑Down of a Supposed Contender and What a Full Roster Reset Could Mean for the Future of the Franchise

When reports surfaced that the Los Angeles Clippers could be heading toward a full-blown fire sale, the immediate reaction around the league was a mix of skepticism and curiosity.

Skepticism, because Steve Ballmer has never projected himself as an owner willing to throw in the towel and publicly label an era a failure. Curiosity, because if the Clippers are finally ready to break this core apart, it has the potential to reshape not only their own future, but the playoff picture across both conferences.

There’s also the strange fact that the first “domino” to fall wasn’t one of their stars, but 40‑year‑old Chris Paul—sent home in the middle of a road trip via late‑night conversation and subsequent social media post. If a fire sale is really coming, that’s a strange place to start.

Still, whether the reports end in a full teardown or something more partial, the Clippers sit at the center of one of the most intriguing trade markets we’ve seen in years. Between distressed contenders, aging stars, and young players in need of a new situation, this deadline has all the makings of controlled chaos.

Let’s look at what a Clippers reset could actually look like—and where some of their biggest pieces might go.

The Context: A Crowded, Volatile Western Conference

Every season, people say, “This might be the craziest trade deadline yet.” Most of the time, it’s hyperbole. This year, it might not be.

Look at the bottom half of the Western Conference: the Clippers, Pelicans, and Kings all profile as teams that could reasonably pivot into sell mode. Add in wild cards like the Mavericks and Jazz—who could go in either direction depending on health and internal politics—and the conditions are there for a lot of movement.

The Clippers, however, occupy a unique space. They have aging stars, expensive contracts, and a franchise that has pushed all its chips in for half a decade. They also owe key picks and swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder, limiting the appeal of a traditional “tank.”

If the front office concludes that this version of the team is going nowhere, they have two choices:

Drag the experiment out and hope for a miracle, or
Cash out what they can now, regain flexibility, and start rebuilding on the fly.

If the reports of a fire sale are accurate, they’re leaning toward option two.

The Kawhi Question (and Why We’re Mostly Skipping It)

Let’s address the elephant in the room quickly: Kawhi Leonard.

On paper, Leonard is the name you’d expect to dominate any Clippers trade conversation. In reality, his situation is so complicated—between his injury history, massive contract, and stature as a franchise-level star—that he almost needs his own article.

There may be one realistic destination where a Leonard trade makes sense for both sides. But league sources consistently suggest that the Clippers are deeply reluctant to move him without a clear, franchise-altering return. It’s also nearly impossible to see Ballmer giving up on the Leonard era first.

So for now, put Kawhi aside. The more immediate trade candidates are James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and a host of solid role players who could be difference-makers on contenders.

James Harden: Distressed Star, Short-Term Play

James Harden’s value is one of the hardest things to gauge in the league.

On one hand, you have a 36‑year‑old former MVP whose playoff track record raises questions, who has forced his way out of multiple teams, and whose defense has never been a plus. On the other, he remains one of the best pick‑and‑roll operators in basketball, still able to run an elite offense for stretches.

The age and baggage mean you’re not getting a haul of blue-chip assets for Harden. The likely return is a “distressed asset” of a different kind: a talented player whose shine has worn off, who needs a new situation, and who may not be seen as a championship-level piece in his current environment.

That’s the profile. But which teams match it?

The Dream That Won’t Happen: Harden to Boston

One of the most intriguing basketball fits is also one of the least likely politically: Harden to the Boston Celtics.

In theory, Boston could get to Harden’s salary with a package built around Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, and a filler piece such as Luka Garza or Xavier Tillman to make the money work.

From Boston’s side, this would be a two-year window play:

The Eastern Conference is relatively soft at the top.
Jayson Tatum’s return from injury is expected late this season. Harden could stabilize the offense in the meantime.
Next year, a core of Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Harden would be devastating offensively.

If it doesn’t work? Harden walks. You’ve lost Simons—whom you might not have been able to keep long-term anyway—and Hauser. Painful, but survivable.

From the Clippers’ side, a player like Simons is exactly the tier you should expect to get for a Harden rental: talented, flawed, and far from a sure thing.

Will the Celtics actually do it? Almost certainly not. There are ball dominance questions with Tatum and Brown, culture questions, and the reality that Boston has alternative paths to contention without the volatility Harden brings.

But as a thought exercise, it illustrates the type of deal that makes sense for a team trying to bridge a short gap to a title.

The Preferred Fit: Harden to Minnesota (via Julius Randle)

A more realistic landing spot—at least on paper—is Minnesota, in a deal built around Julius Randle.

The exact machinations are complex, but conceptually:

The Timberwolves get Harden, pairing him with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, adding elite playmaking to a rugged defensive core.
The Knicks (in one version of this multi‑team construction) move off Randle, a polarizing talent in New York, and retool around Jalen Brunson.
The Clippers get Randle back—a more productive player than someone like Simons, but still a distressed asset in his own right.

Randle fits the profile: big numbers, real talent, real questions about whether his game scales in the playoffs. In L.A., he’d have the space to post big regular-season stats, rehab his value, and either become part of the next iteration or a future trade chip.

It’s not a perfect deal for anyone. That’s why it’s realistic.

The Phoenix Swing: Harden and Zubac for Youth

Perhaps the most fascinating Harden concept involves the Phoenix Suns—and it’s bigger than just Harden.

Imagine a package where Phoenix acquires:

James Harden, and
Ivica Zubac,

in exchange for a core centered around:

Jalen Green,
Grayson Allen, and
Mark Williams.

This is a three-level gamble for both teams.

For the Suns, the question is: How committed are you to maximizing Devin Booker’s prime right now?

Booker is no longer “young” in NBA years. If the goal is to win a title in the next 2–3 seasons, Harden and Zubac help more than Green and Williams.

Harden gives Phoenix a high-level creator and passer to pair with Booker.
Zubac gives them a reliable, durable interior presence, solving some of the size and rebounding issues that have plagued them.
The resulting core—Harden, Booker, Dillon Brooks, Zubac, plus role players like Royce O’Neale, Ryan Dunn, and the emerging “GPS” sharpshooter—would be a tough out in any series.

On the other hand, Jalen Green represents upside. If you believe he can eventually become a star, trading him for a short Harden window is dangerous. Mark Williams, younger than Zubac but fragile and facing a looming payday, complicates the calculus further.

In three years, Green might be a 25‑points‑per‑game scorer, and Williams might be a top‑10 defensive center. Or they might not. Booker will be 32 by then. Do you bet on the present or the future?

For the Clippers, the appeal is obvious:

Green gives them a lottery ticket on a potential star, freed from the expectations and timeline of his current team.
Williams is a long-term big man option, albeit with health concerns.
Grayson Allen is a movable veteran piece or rotation spacer if they want to stay competitive-ish.

This is exactly the kind of trade a rationally rebuilding team should consider: take the upside swings other contenders can’t afford.

Ivica Zubac: The Quiet Prize of the Fire Sale

If Harden is the headliner, Ivica Zubac might be the most practical and coveted piece.

Starting-caliber centers who can rebound, set hard screens, finish around the rim, and hold up defensively without needing plays run for them are always in demand. Zubac is that, on a reasonable contract, still in his prime.

He is also exactly the type of player rebuilding teams can afford to trade: good enough to bring back real value, not so integral that you have to build around him.

Option 1: Zubac for Kuminga (Warriors)

One of the most intriguing conceptual trades on the board is a deal that sends:

Zubac and Nicolas Batum to Golden State,
in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga.

From the Warriors’ perspective:

Zubac gives them a true big who can rebound and provide easy points when the offense bogs down.
Batum, even if he’s lost half a step, still offers shooting, passing, positional size, and situational defense against big wings. He’s the kind of player who might give you one critical stop on a Kevin Durant possession in May.

They still have too many guards—Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, Seth Curry, Brandin Podziemski (“Pods”), De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Will Richard, Pat Spencer, and Moses Moody. But Zubac and Batum begin to rebalance the roster toward size and defense.

For the Clippers, Kuminga is the quintessential flyer:

Former high pick.
Flashes of star athleticism.
Inconsistent role on a veteran-heavy team.

You don’t know if he’ll ever become the player he was drafted to be. But in a situation like the Clippers—a team with few better options—you let him “rock out” and see what happens. If he pops, you’ve found a foundational piece. If he doesn’t, you’ve at least taken a smart swing.

Option 2: Zubac to Chicago for Patrick Williams

The Chicago Bulls are rumored to be angling for a splash move this summer—perhaps for a player like Anthony Davis if the stars align. In the meantime, they’ve got a frontcourt logjam of imperfect fits and a defensive identity that’s more theoretical than real.

A potential framework:

To Bulls: Ivica Zubac, Derrick Jones Jr.
To Clippers: Patrick Williams, Ayo Dosunmu, and a first-round pick (e.g., a lottery-protected Portland pick that could convert into seconds).

For Chicago:

Zubac isn’t a perfect fit next to Nikola Vučević, and yes, they’re still paying Zach Collins and Jalen Smith. But he immediately raises their defensive floor, protects the rim, and gives them a reliable big for lineups where Vučević sits or slides.
Derrick Jones Jr., once healthy, gives them a switchable forward who has already shown he can be impactful on a good team.
The extra pick (and/or seconds) can be bundled in a future big swing.

For the Clippers:

Patrick Williams is another “what if” bet: a long, toolsy forward who has been teasing “baby Kawhi” potential since draft night but has never fully broken out.
Ayo Dosunmu is a solid guard who can likely be re-signed on a reasonable deal, giving them backcourt stability while they figure out the rest.
The pick is gravy.

If you’re targeting upside, Kuminga is probably the better bet. But Williams is a fair alternative for a team that needs as many lottery tickets as it can get.

The Other Names: Dunn, Jones, Batum, Lopez

Once you get past Harden and Zubac, you enter the “useful but unspectacular” tier: Chris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, and even Brook Lopez.

All of them have situational value:

Dunn: elite point-of-attack defense, improved decision-making, ideal for a contender needing a defense-first backup guard.
Jones Jr.: athletic, switchable forward whose energy and length play up in playoff environments—if he returns to form post-injury.
Batum: veteran wing with high feel, positional versatility, and a history of making smart plays in big moments.
Lopez: the question mark. At this stage, he may have only a few impactful months left, but teams can always talk themselves into adding a big who can space the floor and protect the rim for a short stretch.

Individually, these names won’t headline deals. But packaged together with a bigger piece, or aggregated in multi-team trades, they can help contenders fine-tune rotations.

They are exactly the kind of players smart front offices circle as “February answers” to May and June problems.

What a Fire Sale Really Means for the Clippers

If the Clippers go through with a fire sale, it won’t look like the classic teardown where a team trades a single star for a pile of picks and disappears into the lottery for half a decade.

They don’t control their own draft destiny the way a traditional rebuilder does. OKC owns or influences too many of their future picks.

Instead, a Clippers fire sale likely looks like this:

Harden flipped for a short-term distressed asset with upside.
Zubac turned into a young forward or center with higher variance (Kuminga, Williams, etc.).
Veterans like Batum, Dunn, and Jones moved for seconds, swaps, or minor prospects.
Kawhi Leonard’s situation evaluated later—possibly in the offseason, when the market is clearer.

It’s less “Process Sixers” and more “retool on the fly.” Clear the books, add a few young bet-on-talent pieces, keep the door open for a quicker rebound if one of them pops or if another star becomes available.

Whether Steve Ballmer can stomach the perception of “failure” long enough to let that process play out is another question.

The Big Picture: Who’s Actually Ready to Move?

The trades outlined here are not predictions. They are templates—types of deals that make sense for where the Clippers are and where other teams want to go.

The key variables:

How honest will the Clippers be with themselves? Are they ready to admit this era is over?
How aggressive will teams like Phoenix, Minnesota, and Chicago be in chasing short-term gains?
How much faith do franchises have in their young “maybe stars” like Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Patrick Williams?

There are versions of this deadline where not much happens, where fear wins and teams cling to familiarity.

But there is also a version where the Clippers finally break the seal, where Harden gets one more shot in a meaningful situation, where Zubac becomes the missing piece for a contender, and where a long-stalled prospect finally gets the runway he’s been waiting for.

If that happens, the 2025–26 trade season could be every bit as wild as it feels on paper.

For now, all we know for sure is this:

If a fire sale really is coming in Los Angeles, the rest of the league is already circling, phones charged, trade machines open—waiting to see just how far the Clippers are willing to go.