Rockets must consider terrifying Kawhi Leonard gamble to maximize Kevin Durant timeline

The Houston Rockets are one of the NBA’s biggest enigmas. On one hand, they have an exciting young core built around 23-year-olds Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun. On the other hand, they have a 37-year-old future Hall of Famer in Kevin Durant, who surely wants to compete for a championship right now.

Those two timelines make it incredibly difficult to predict what the Rockets will do this offseason. Could they preserve their young core and build toward a long-term championship window? Absolutely. Could they also push more future assets into the middle of the table to chase next year’s title? Again, absolutely.

Could Houston pursue Kawhi Leonard?

If they decide to take the latter approach, the Los Angeles Clippers should be one of the first teams they call. The possibility of pairing Kawhi Leonard with Kevin Durant would be risky and expensive, but it would also be extremely fun and create one of the best duos in the league.

Proposing a potential trade for Leonard is always an interesting task. When healthy, he is a true top-tier superstar. He is one of the few players in the world capable of leading a team to an NBA championship. However, that “when healthy” caveat is not something that can be easily overlooked.

Leonard’s availability has been a major concern for years. He has missed significant time in several recent seasons, and even when he is on the floor, he is often managing nagging injuries that can limit his effectiveness.

Still, Leonard reminded everyone this past season why he remains one of the league’s most impactful players. When available, he is still elite defensively and a dominant three-level scorer.

The Clippers may look to move on from Leonard after he has finally put together a relatively healthy year and his trade value is relatively high. If the Clippers decide they need a reset, Houston has the young players and draft capital to make Los Angeles listen.

Even with Leonard’s trade value relatively high, his age and lengthy injury history would limit the return Los Angeles could realistically demand. The Rockets could potentially land a top-tier player for a fraction of the usual superstar price. They would just have to make a massive gamble on Leonard’s health.

Any Kawhi Leonard trade would be a huge gamble

The upside is obvious. A Durant-Leonard pairing, with Sengun and Thompson becoming the third and fourth options, would give Houston one of the most talented cores in the league. That group could compete with any other core in a seven-game series.

The downside is just as obvious. The Rockets would likely have to sacrifice draft capital and at least one or two of Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard and Jabari Smith Jr. to make the deal happen. If Leonard’s body breaks down again, Houston would be left with two aging stars and fewer assets in their treasure chest.

Still, with Durant on the roster, this is the type of gamble that has to be considered. If the price for Leonard is lower than the usual superstar return, Houston has to at least make the call.

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