Kawhi Leonard stood out at the All-Star Game, playing in front of his home Los Angeles Clippers crowd at the Intuit Dome. Playing for an older USA Stripes team, the 34-year-old Leonard showed no signs of Father Time catching up to him. He had a 31-point performance on an impressive 11-of-13 shooting in a win over Team World, which featured international players in their new All-Star Game format.
We were admittedly skeptical of how this round-robin tournament format would play out, but it was an overall success as players were much more competitive. Even Leonard, someone who has a reputation for sitting out meaningful regular-season games, was engaged!
Kawhi Leonard is exactly what Portland is missing (and he could be available this summer)
The Portland Trail Blazers were represented with an All-Star of their own in Deni Avdija, with a much-deserved first-ever appearance. But the reality is that they are still losing the star-power battle in the Western Conference and need to find Avdija a legitimate co-star to be considered in that tier of contenders.
Leonard's latest performance should serve as a reminder of why the Blazers need to pursue him this upcoming offseason.
Portland was relatively quiet at the trade deadline, making a move on the margins with the acquisition of sharpshooter Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks. But their front office knows they must eventually make a splash, and that could come as soon as this summer.
At that point, Portland will be under new ownership, have enough young assets to go star hunting, and have an ascending young core ready to take that next leap. Not to mention, Damian Lillard's anticipated return, which Blazers fans got a glimpse of when he came away with another 3-Point Contest trophy.
The Blazers have a unique mix of youth and veterans that can finally be used to their advantage, making it more reasonable to acquire a star this offseason. And Leonard has suddenly become an increasingly realistic possibility after seeing how the Clippers navigated the trade deadline.
Los Angeles retooled their roster, moving on from Ivica Zubac and replacing James Harden with a younger star guard in Darius Garland. Leonard suddenly looks like the classic Will Smith standing-in-an-empty-room meme from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The Clippers "were hit with multiple trade inquiries" for Leonard (subscription required) leading up to the trade deadline, but "ultimately resisted the inbound interest," according to NBA insider Marc Stein. Still, the fact that they've reset their timeline and Leonard's contract is set to expire after next season has to give the Clippers front office a lot to think about in the offseason.
If he's available, Leonard could be just the missing star Portland needs to make a deep playoff run. It wouldn't be without risk, considering his age, injury history, and contract. It's possible he turns out to be a one-year rental. But hey, we all know how that worked out for the Toronto Raptors.