Will the Warriors make a play for Kawhi Leonard?
The Golden State Warriors should be looking to get the most out of the final years of Steph Curry as they try to bring one more championship to the Bay.
Steph Curry is under contract for at least one more season, Draymond Green is expected to pick up his player option to return for one more season, and Steve Kerr has signed on to coach the team for at least two more seasons.
The Warriors failed to make the playoffs this past season and have not advanced past the second round since winning the championship in 2022. With time running out on a legendary career, the Warriors have an urgency to do right by their franchise legend.
Kawhi Leonard To The Bay?
Anthony Slater of ESPN reports that the Warriors are targeting Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard as a potential option.
"Team sources within the Golden State Warriors organization continue to indicate that Kawhi Leonard is the type of 'established wing talent' they would pursue in a win-now maneuver," wrote Slater.
The Clippers, specifically owner Steve Ballmer, has been steadfast in not wanting to trade Leonard, who signed with the team in 2019 after winning an NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors.
The Clippers have cycled in players like Paul George, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul in an effort to compete alongside Kawhi, and while some of them have departed, Kawhi has been the one constant.
Los Angeles has shifted towards a more youthful approach over the past year in trading Harden and Ivica Zubac, and getting some lottery luck to obtain the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but they have still held on to Kawhi in an effort to remain competitive.
Can It Be Done?
After the Clippers traded Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin, the Warriors made a play for Kawhi at the trade deadline. Reports indicate that they thought a deal was close, but ultimately it didn't happen.
Now that the Clippers have the fifth overall pick, they might feel more inclined to move Kawhi and go towards a full-on youth movement.
The Warriors would have to include the contract of Jimmy Butler and likely the 11th overall pick in the draft. If that pick is on the table, it would be an enticing deal for the Clippers, who would have two lottery picks in one of the deepest drafts in years.
