LA Clippers: Not trading Kawhi Leonard
The LA Clippers closed this season strong and nearly made a surprise run in the Western Conference playoffs. The biggest difference for this team down the stretch vs. the first half of the season was the health of Kawhi Leonard. When Kawhi is healthy, the Clippers are a championship contender, or at least have the potential to be. When they're not, the Clippers are a fringe playoff team in the West.
Heading into the offseason, the Clippers have two options. They could either pivot toward a rebuild after another failed postseason run, or they could try to put together one more magical season one more time. I believe not taking advantage of his health right now and trading Kawhi would be a huge mistake for this team moving forward. At his age and considering his injury history, odds are that Kawhi will not put together complete seasons anymore. If there's even a chance that's accurate, it would benefit the Clippers more to take advantage of his current trade value than to keep building around him.
Los Angeles Lakers: Making Austin Reaves an untouchable
It's unfortunate that the Los Angeles Lakers ran out of gas by the time the NBA Playoffs rolled around. After being upset by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers certainly have their work cut out for them heading into the offseason. They need to find ways to improve the roster if they have any hope of emerging next season as a legit championship contender in the Western Conference.
As much as the Lakers may have tried to avoid such a scenario over the last couple of trade windows, I can't envision a way that this team is going to upgrade the supporting cast while continuing to make Austin Reaves an untouchable asset. Whether they agree to an extension with him or not, the Lakers are probably going to have to trade him to significantly upgrade the roster this summer. If they continue to make him an untouchable asset, it could end up being a huge problem down the line for this franchise.