A superstar trade addition won’t come cheap for the Golden State Warriors this summer, requiring them to surrender one of their most valuable assets to get their ultimate wish.
In a massive trade pitch crafted by the Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, the Warriors would land two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard by sending their six-time All-Star to the Los Angeles Clippers.
“With Jimmy Butler tearing his ACL in January, he’s likely to miss (if not all) of the 2026-27 campaign,” Bailey wrote Monday. “And in the twilight of Stephen Curry’s career, the Golden State Warriors simply cannot afford to have $56.8 million on the books for a player who can’t get on the floor.
“Trading his expiring contract seems like one of the most obvious plays on any board this summer, and attaching some draft capital to him could be enough to make the Clippers bite.”
“For the Warriors, a first-round pick in a strong draft (No. 11 overall pick in this year’s draft) and potentially another in five years (2031 first-round pick swap) probably feels like a pretty steep price for a player entering his age-35 season and dragging his list of injuries behind him.”
“But again, Kawhi just played in enough games to qualify for postseason awards and made an All-NBA team. There’s no guarantee he’ll do that again, but even if Golden State got 95% of that player, he and Curry would be one of the West’s most dynamic duos.”
Leonard is one of the contributors the Warriors have been rumored to pivot to if they snag Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Would an aging Warriors squad consisting of two future Hall of Famers over the age of 33 scare the rest of the Western Conference? Probably not, considering the top two teams in the West are young, up-and-coming squads with deep benches (the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder).
That said, adding Leonard to the roster certainly wouldn’t end the Warriors’ title hopes for good, as the San Diego State product is an established, multi-faceted wing who possesses the win-now skill set Golden State has been searching for.
Leonard contributed 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game with the Clippers this year, shooting 50.5% from the field and 38.7% from long range. Expect the two-time NBA champion to be linked to the Dubs on multiple occasions in the foreseeable future.
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