Keep an eye on Kawhi Leonard and the Detroit Pistons, NBA expert says

The NBA is watching the Kawhi Leonard-Los Angeles Clippers situation as teams gear up for the free agency negotiating period opening Tuesday, June 30, at 6 p.m. ET.

Leonard, who will turn 35 on Monday, is on a one-year, $50.3 million contract. He is extension eligible.

ESPN’s telecast Wednesday night of the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft discussed Leonard’s future in a segment late in the draft. And the Detroit Pistons were the first team brought up as one to watch.

“I think there’s a lot of playoff teams keeping an eye on what happens with Kawhi Leonard,” ESPN cap expert and former Brooklyn Nets executive Bobby Marks said.

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“Say more, what playoff teams?” host Malika Andrews asked.

“Detroit. Detroit is a team,” Brian Windhorst interjected, before trailing off.

“Maybe his former teams,” Marks said. “I’ll leave it at that.” The San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors are Leonard’s two former teams.

The Pistons have been connected this offseason to a slew of players who would add ball-handling and shooting, most notably guards Tyler Herro (traded to Milwaukee), Austin Reaves (re-signing with LA Lakers), Norman Powell and Coby White.

The Pistons traded up four spots Tuesday and drafted Stanford 19-year-old freshman guard Ebuka Okorie at No. 17 overall in the first round.

Leonard is going into the final year of his deal and would have some say in where he goes, since the acquiring team would otherwise see him as a one-year rental.

Detroit Pistons need to add playmaking and shooting this summer, president of basketball ops Trajan Langdon said after the season. Here are 15 players under contract to watch. Age as of Dec. 31, 2026. “Likelihood” rating 1-5, 1 being least likely. Now, the names …

<1 / 16

Detroit Pistons need to add playmaking and shooting this summer, president of basketball ops Trajan Langdon said after the season. Here are 15 players under contract to watch. Age as of Dec. 31, 2026. “Likelihood” rating 1-5, 1 being least likely. Now, the names …

<2 / 16

Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown. Age: 29. Contract: 3 years, $183 million. Likelihood: 1.

<3 / 16

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant. Age: 38. Contract: 2 years, $90 million. Likelihood: 1.

<4 / 16

New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III. Age: 26. Contract: 3 years, $87 million. Likelihood: 2.5.

<5 / 16

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving. Age: 34. Contract: 2 years, $82 million. Likelihood: 1.

<6 / 16

Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday. Age: 36. Contract: 2 years, $72 million. Likelihood: 1.

<7 / 16

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle. Age: 32. Contract: 2 years, $69.1 million. Likelihood: 1.5.

<8 / 16

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. Age: 35. Contract: 1 year, $50.3 million. Likelihood: 1.

<9 / 16

Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk. Age: 28. Contract: 2 years, $41.8 million. Likelihood: 2.

<10 / 16

Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. Age: 28. Contract: $40.8 million. Likelihood: 1.5.

<11 / 16

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro. Age: 26. Contract: 1 year, $33 million. Likelihood: 2.

<12 / 16

Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Aaron Wiggins. Age: 27. Contract: 3 years, $26 million. Likelihood: 2.

<13 / 16

Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson. Age: 30. Contract: 1 year, $23 million. Likelihood: 2.

<14 / 16

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe. Age: 27. Contract: 2 years, $22.6 million. Likelihood: 2.

<15 / 16

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome. Age: 29. Contract: 2 years, $18.9 million. Likelihood: 1.5.

<16 / 16

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort. Age: 27. Contract: $18.2 million. Likelihood: 1.5.

“This could all be moot, they could come to terms with him to a new deal,” Windhorst said. “They could say, ‘we’ve got our young draft pick [Keaton] Wagler, we’ve got Darius Garland, we’re gonna move forward with these three guys.’ But what if they don’t? And that’s what the league is watching.”

Leonard, who just finished his sixth season with his hometown Clippers, scored a career-high 27.9 points per game over 65 games in his 14th season. He made second-team All-NBA.

Windhorst called Leonard over the past year-and-a-half one of the top-10 players in the league.

“He has been spectacular. … You don’t let [that type of player] get to free agency,” Windhorst said. “You either extend his contract or you trade him. And that is what is on the plate for the Clippers right now.”

A little earlier in the night, after the Pistons dealt Isaiah Stewart to Memphis, Marks said “there’s something brewing in Detroit,” and Windhorst said “heck, they could call LeBron James if they wanted to,” after clearing $15 million in cap space.

“Detroit is setting themselves up to be one of the stories of this offseason,” he added.

Bleacher Report on June 1 listed the Pistons as the No. 1 destination for a Leonard trade. Andy Bailey’s proposed trade would need to be amended. He had Stewart, Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert, Ron Holland and a 2031 first-round pick going to LA.

“In Detroit, Leonard would be joining one of the best up-and-coming playmakers in the NBA in soon-to-be-25-year-old Cade Cunningham,” Bailey wrote. “He’d have plenty of close-to-stress-free looks generated for him by Cade. And in turn, he’d almost certainly lighten the sometimes massive offensive load on Cunningham’s shoulders.

“Pairing those two without losing Jalen Duren would give the Pistons one of the most dangerous trios in the East.”

ESPN’s Zach Kram in late April proposed a Leonard deal to the Pistons for Holland, Robinson, LeVert, a 2027 first, 2029 first and 2031 second-round pick (via Memphis) for Leonard and a 2029 second-rounder (from Memphis via Portland). The Pistons would send Paul Reed to the Grizzlies in that three-teamer.

“They should do everything in their power to add Leonard this summer,” Kram wrote. “And though this trade would cost them two first-round picks and a prospect, they’d lose only one player [Robinson] who has received meaningful playing time in these playoffs.”

Marks, back then, liked the fake deal, writing: “The Pistons going all-in for Leonard would present little risk, considering they are sending three rotational players, a 2027 first-round pick that probably will land in the 20s and a future first-rounder.”

The Clippers, after their play-in tournament loss to Golden State, said they wanted to “win with Kawhi.” But that was nine weeks ago.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons among teams to watch in Kawhi Leonard-Clippers discussions