The Play-In matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers became an all-time thrill match, and it wasn't even what many consider to be the actual playoffs. 

The Warriors ended up the victors in the 126-121 game despite the Clippers leading most of the game and much of that win for Golden State had to do with Steph Curry turning back the clock with a 35-point performance, but there was another Warriors great that had a dominant performance, just on the other end of the court.

Draymond Green put on a defensive clinic in the fourth, particularly with the way that he contained Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. 

Leonard scored just two points in the fourth quarter, those points coming off a largely inconsequential dunk with just seconds left in the game. 

Green had Leonard clamped in the fourth quarter and after the game, with the sting of defeat fresh on his mind, Leonard couldn't help but praise Green, calling him a "Hall of Fame defender" and saying that Green made it difficult for him shoot at all. 

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) guards Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) in the first half during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome.

 Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Green clearly appreciated Leonard's respect toward him and made sure to express that the feeling was mutual. On a recent episode of his podcast the The Draymond Green Show, Green lauded Leonard and called him one of the best players in the league.

“I don’t even talk junk to Kawhi Leonard because I have so much respect for him," Green said (via NBA Courtside). "Kawhi is... [a] top 5 offensive player in our league, he’s also a top 5 defensive player in our league. This man had more steals than fouls on the season. Almost by double... Kawhi is special." 

Green's comments extend well past just a reciprocation of praise from one NBA veteran to another and the implications of this incoming offseason make the content and timing of Green's comments very interesting. 

After James Harden and Ivica Zubac were both traded at the deadline, the Warriors were reportedly one of the teams interested in trading for Leonard. Such a trade never materialized, but that door could reopen in the offseason. 

The Clippers are trending towards a younger team and considering that they shipped off two members of their Big Three in service of a pseudo-rebuild, it's not unreasonable to think that trading Leonard is an option.

He'll be in the last year of his contract next season and owed over $50 million. Striking a deal with a team such as the Warriors could lessen the Clippers' salary cap and help push them to a full overhaul of the team should they move away from attempting to re-sign Leonard next offseason.

With the addition of that context, Green's comments might not have just been respect to Leonard, but a subtle recruiting pitch.