Warriors Still Pursuing Kawhi Leonard. The Front Office Reportedly Has a Specific Offer in Mind.
The Warriors are not done with the Kawhi Leonard chase, and they reportedly have a specific number in mind. Multiple league sources say Golden State has built an offer for Leonard if he becomes available on the market this summer.
Front offices around the league have been waiting to see what the Clippers actually do with Kawhi. There have been months of trade rumors, retirement rumors, and contract restructuring rumors. The Warriors apparently decided to stop guessing and start preparing.
The Warriors’ interest makes sense on paper. They need a star-level wing to play next to Stephen Curry, and they have aging veterans on expiring deals plus draft equity they can package into something interesting. Kawhi turns into a Curry running mate immediately if his body cooperates.
That’s the big if. Leonard played 37 games last season. His knees have not been the same since the Toronto title run, and even when he’s on the floor, the Clippers have load-managed him into oblivion. Any team adding Kawhi is adding 50 or 60 regular-season games of star production, not 75.
The Warriors might actually be the right team for that arrangement. Curry doesn’t need a co-star to carry the regular season anymore. He needs a co-star for April. If Kawhi shows up healthy for the playoffs, the Warriors immediately become a contender again.
The specific offer hasn’t leaked, but the framework being discussed involves the Warriors taking on multiple years of money in exchange for a smaller annual figure. That structure protects them if Kawhi’s body finally gives out, and it gives the Clippers cap relief on the back end. Both sides could live with it.
The wrinkle is whether Kawhi himself wants to leave LA. He’s been a Clipper for six years now. He has a custom situation in LA, a kid’s basketball career to be near, and a working relationship with the medical staff that knows his body. Picking up and moving to the Bay Area at 35 is a real ask.
His agent Mitch Kupchak has had quiet conversations with multiple teams, but the Warriors are the only contender with both cap maneuverability and a sales pitch built around winning right now. The Lakers are saturated with stars. The Heat are chasing Giannis. Golden State has the cleanest lane.
Steve Kerr loves multi-positional defenders, and Kawhi at 80% is still one of the best wing defenders in the league. Putting him next to Draymond Green and Curry creates a defensive backbone the Warriors haven’t had since 2017.
The Warriors’ window is closing fast. Curry is 38. Klay is gone. Draymond is 36. If they’re going to make one more real run, they need a true second star, and Kawhi is the only one realistically available.
This is the kind of move that defines the back end of a dynasty. Either the Warriors land Kawhi and Curry gets one more legitimate Finals trip, or they don’t and 2026 becomes the year the dynasty officially ended. The front office knows it. The offer is real.
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.
