The Los Angeles Clippers are at an inflection point with star forward Kawhi Leonard.Leonard, who has one year remaining on his current contract, will be eligible for a hefty extension over the offseason – if the Clippers offer it. According to Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, it certainly sounds like they plan to."Our plan is to win with Kawhi," Frank said. "We obviously showed as an organization that we want to continue and we are driven to win. So, at the appropriate time, we'll sit down with Kawhi, and very similar to 2024, lay out our plan. And if our goals are aligned, then we'd like to win with Kawhi."The Clippers are in a similar situation that a lot of teams are in with their star player. If the star player is willing to sign an extension, then you lock them up. But if they’re not, then the organization must look out for its own best interest, which would be potentially trying to trade said star in order to recoup some value in return, instead of losing him in free agency for nothing.For example, the Bucks are facing the exact same situation with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, albeit with much more publicity and turmoil.Bucks controlling owner Wes Edens laid the situation out pretty plainly while speaking with media members last month."Giannis is going into the last year [of his contract]. So one of two things will happen: Either he will be extended or he'll be traded,” Edens said."The likelihood you'll let him just kind of play out the last year, we can't afford that. It's not consistent with what's good for the organization. That's not a Giannis issue. That's any player that's in their last year."The same goes in L.A. It wouldn’t be in the best interest of the franchise to go into next season with Leonard on an expiring contract, although they could technically wait up until the deadline in February to trade him.When asked about his future directly after the Clippers were eliminated from playoff contention at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Play-In Tournament, Leonard didn’t provide any insight."Let me cry about this loss a little bit more," Leonard said. "We'll have our discussions when that time comes."More to come. More NBA news: Why Cleveland Cavaliers could try to trade Donovan Mitchell over the offseasonLeBron James' feelings regarding retirement tour revealedLakers' Luka Doncic gets great news regarding MVP eligibilityDraymond Green reveals the one NBA defender he would pick over himselfKlay Thompson gets brutally honest regarding his future with Mavericks