Report: LeBron James could join the Clippers this summer

The Clippers have been a festering disappointment over the last several years, despite the presence of Kawhi Leonard, who is always considered one of the game's best players when healthy. They got younger this season by essentially swapping 36-year-old James Harden for two-time All-Star point guard Darius Garland, who is 26 years of age.

They also could end up with a lottery draft pick this June after trading center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers at midseason. In that deal, the Clippers received the Pacers' 2026 first-round pick, and if it falls between No. 5 and No. 9, they will keep it.

They're expected to have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be worth roughly $15 million, this summer, but that will likely be the maximum they can offer James. They also have plenty of uncertainty about their roster, starting with Leonard, who has one year left on his contract and will turn 35 years of age in June. As everyone knows, he's a perpetual injury risk and cannot be trusted to be available for the vast majority of his team's games.

The Clippers lost in the play-in tournament on Wednesday to the Golden State Warriors, ending their hopes of making the playoffs. They haven't won a single playoff series since 2021, and in the seven seasons since Leonard joined them, they have reached the Western Conference finals once. The franchise has never appeared in the NBA Finals.

The Lakers, on the other hand, are projected to have roughly $50 million of salary cap space this summer and could be one or two role players or complementary players away from fielding a championship-caliber squad next season.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Report: LeBron James could join the Clippers this summer