Kawhi Leonard had one of the best games of his career on Sunday, as the Los Angeles Clippers blew past the Minnesota Timberwolves, 115-96. Leonard took charge and had 41 points, eight rebounds and four steals. The two-time champion was feeling it from downtown and shot 45.5%.
It was a statement win for the Clippers after an eventful trade deadline that led to trades involving two key pieces. The franchise traded star guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland. They also let go of longtime starting center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers.
Despite the massive changes to the roster, Leonard still showed resiliency and aggressiveness, as the Clippers look to contend in the Western Conference.
After the win, Leonard said this about the team’s mentality as the All-Star break approaches.
“We’ve got a good group. Guys are level-headed. They love to play basketball. So, we’re just going out and competing every night. That’s all we’re doing. Starting on the defensive end and getting out in transition,” the two-time Finals MVP said.
"We got a good group… We're just going out and competing every night" – Kawhi Leonard after dropping 41 in the W 🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ATTm1TXCuc
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 8, 2026
Kawhi Leonard’s 41-point outing was also his way of indicating that he deserved to be an All-Star. When the reserves were announced, the star forward wasn’t voted by the coaches. Fortunately for the Clippers star, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver named him an All-Star to complete one of the US teams.
The Clippers weren’t planning on trading Kawhi Leonard
Things have changed within the Clippers roster since Kawhi Leonard joined in 2019. However, the NBA star remains a consistent piece in the franchise. After dealing with Harden and Zubac before the deadline, insider Chris Haynes revealed that the team had no plans of trading Leonard.
“Teams were calling and trying to see if they could pry Kawhi away, but I was told that the Clippers never reached a point where anything was serious,” Haynes said.
The Clippers are satisfied with their star and are focused on the present. Haynes also added that the organization will assess things with Leonard and his contract in the summer.
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