Kawhi Leonard wants Clippers' front office to acquire a point guard

As the NBA's Feb. 9 trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Clippers have repeatedly popped up in in the rumor mill as an aggressive buyer.

Like the Phoenix Suns, the Clippers are reportedly looking to acquire a point guard — with Fred VanVleet, Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry and D'Angelo Russell among the players mentioned as targets. 

Lately, the Clippers have been getting creative at point guard, with Paul George and Terance Mann starting in place of Reggie Jackson and John Wall (who has been out with an abdominal injury). (Mann's versatility has been on display this season, as he's played 46% of his minutes at shooting guard, 34% at small forward, 17% at point guard and 4% at power forward, according to Basketball Reference.)

Finding an upgrade at point guard would make life easier for George and Kawhi Leonard — the latter of whom has reportedly talked to the Clippers' front office about finding a floor general.

"Kawhi Leonard has made it clear to the Clippers front office that he would welcome a point guard addition, and it’s no surprise that two of his former teammates on his championship Raptors team, Lowry and VanVleet, are on their short list of targets," reports Matt Moore of the Action Network.

The Clippers are 28-25, which is the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. They boast the NBA's 11th-ranked defense (allowing 110.3 points per 100 possessions) and 19th-ranked offense (scoring 110.8 points per 100 possessions). 

The Clippers entered this season as the fourth-oldest team in the NBA, with an average age of 27.98 years old. Also, the average Clippers player has been in the NBA for 6.56 seasons, making them the second-most experienced team in the NBA (trailing only the Milwaukee Bucks). 

Leonard (31) and George (32) aren't getting any younger, and neither are key role players like Marcus Morris Sr. (33), Robert Covington (32), Nicolas Batum (34), Jackson (32) and Wall (32). A win-now move or two would make a lot of sense for the Clippers given their window.

It remains to be seen if they're willing to part with the assets it would take to land a notable guard like VanVleet, Lowry, Conley or Russell.