Kawhi Leonard’s market dried up months ago. Every team in the league has watched him miss playoff minutes for three straight years. Every team except one.
The Golden State Warriors are still actively pursuing a Kawhi Leonard trade, according to a Friday report from The Athletic. Golden State has reportedly checked in with the Clippers multiple times this offseason, exploring frameworks that could bring the two-time Finals MVP to the Bay.
This makes sense for exactly one reason. Stephen Curry is 38 years old. The Warriors got knocked out in the second round again this year. The window is closing, and the front office knows there is no time for normal asset patience.
Adding Leonard would be the boldest swing of the Bob Myers post-era. The Clippers want to clean their books before Tyronn Lue’s last season, and Kawhi’s $50 million expiring contract is the obvious starting point. Golden State could absorb that money using contracts like Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II, and a future first.
The risk is the same risk it has been for half a decade. Kawhi has played in 30 or fewer playoff games combined over the last four postseasons. His knee issues are chronic. The Warriors would be betting that home cooking and a load-management plan can keep him available in May and June.
That is a heavy bet. But it might be the only one that gives Steph one more real chance.
Golden State’s roster otherwise has problems that asset accumulation cannot solve. Jonathan Kuminga is in restricted free agency limbo. Andrew Wiggins has not been the same since the 2022 title run. The young guys around Brandin Podziemski have not developed into the secondary scorers the front office promised.
Kawhi at 75 percent health is still a 22-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist player who guards the other team’s best wing. That is exactly what the Warriors need next to Curry and Draymond Green.
The other angle here is what the Clippers want in return. LA is in full retool mode after years of trying to win with the Paul George and Kawhi pairing. The new front office under Lawrence Frank wants future picks and young players, not cap clutter. Golden State has both.
Steve Kerr’s recent extension also matters. The Warriors just locked in their head coach for two more years on a contract that keeps him as the highest paid in the league. Kerr signing means the front office is going for it now, not next year.
The contract structure for Leonard also helps. He has a $50 million player option for 2026-27 he could opt out of, but most insiders think he will pick it up given the lack of long-term deals available to him. That gives Golden State a one-year audition with a player who could either change the championship math or leave for free in 2027.
Other teams have walked away from this conversation. The Heat looked. The Sixers looked. The Lakers looked. All three concluded the injury risk outweighed the upside. The Warriors are the lone holdout who think they can make it work.
Steph Curry deserves the front office to keep swinging. Joe Lacob is reportedly fully on board with any move that improves the title odds, even one with massive injury exposure. The Warriors are out of time for safe plays.
If you are betting on this trade actually happening, the over-under is 25 percent. The Clippers want to move on. The Warriors want to win. The numbers can work. Whether the bodies can hold up is the only question that matters.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
