The Golden State Warriors find themselves in an interesting spot as the regular season winds down. While they have already clinched a spot in the Play-In Tournament, they are practically locked into the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, with a date against either the Los Angeles Clippers or the Portland Trail Blazers in the No. 9-No. 10 play-in game appearing to be in their future.
At this point, the Warriors’ hopes of making a playoff run likely hinge on whether Stephen Curry can return to the court this year. Had things played out differently at the trade deadline, though, Golden State may have had Clippers’ star Kawhi Leonard at its disposal. Instead, it missed out on a trade for him, but it sounds like the Warriors are already plotting to target Leonard once again this upcoming offseason.
Warriors Eyeing Kawhi Leonard Blockbuster Trade
For the past few years, the Warriors have been doing whatever they can to load up for one last title run with Curry. Unfortunately, the front office hasn’t been able to find a way to get this team over the hump. Curry’s injury issues have derailed another solid season for him, but when he’s on the court, he’s still one of the most dangerous players in the league.
At the trade deadline, it appears as if Golden State was close to pairing Curry up with Leonard, who is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. In 60 games so far, Leonard is averaging 28.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. And yet, L.A. opted to tear things down at the deadline, even though it ultimately decided to hold onto Leonard.
That could change this offseason, as reports indicate Leonard is going to draw significant interest on the trade market in the wake of a resurgent season with the Clippers. In fact, after just missing out on him at the trade deadline, a new report indicates that the Warriors are going to take another big swing for Leonard this upcoming offseason.
“Multiple NBA sources indicate that they were close a deal for Kawhi Leonard at the deadline before the Clippers pulled out — and that GSWs plan to be just as aggressive this offseason trying to line up one more run,” Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard reported in a post on X.
Should the Warriors Trade for Kawhi Leonard?
GettyLA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard reacts to a referee call.
Leonard is in a similar spot at Curry, which makes him an intriguing target for the Warriors. The 2026-27 campaign will be Leonard’s age-35 season, and while he hasn’t shown many signs of decline to this point, he’s clearly closer to the end of his career than the beginning of it. With that in mind, he’s likely looking to chase another title or two before he decides to ride off into the sunset.
That’s likely what Curry is looking to do, which makes this duo a potentially deadly pairing. The Clippers may decide that they want to rebuild around Leonard, but we have seen him force his way off of teams before, and in the NBA, players have more power than ever before when it comes to determining where they play. It’s going to cost Golden State a pretty penny, but loading up and acquiring Leonard may be the move the team could make this upcoming offseason.
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