Help could be on the way for Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors this coming offseason. The Warriors could reportedly try to acquire Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James this summer, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
The Warriors reportedly tried to deal for Leonard before the Feb. 9 trade deadline after the Los Angeles Clippers traded James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers. The Clippers ultimately held on to Leonard and paired him with Darius Garland, whom the team acquired in the Harden trade.
At 39-36, the Clippers are currently the eighth seed in the Western Conference and have not advanced past the first round since the 2020-2021 season. With the Clippers pivoting from an older roster to bring in more youth at the deadline, the Warriors are expected to once again try to trade for Leonard. Leonard has averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds on 50.4% from the field and 38.1% from the 3-point line in 58 games this season.
James would be easier for the Warriors to acquire than Leonard. The 41-year-old will be a free agent after the season. This year, James has averaged 20.9 points, 6.9 assists and 6.0 rebounds. If James decides to play another season, his fit alongside Curry and longtime friend Draymond Green makes sense from both a basketball and timeline perspective. James has also been linked to a possible return to Cleveland if he decides to leave the Los Angeles Lakers.
Leonard and James would give the Warriors veteran wings with championship experience. Since the Warriors’ last championship in 2022, the team has failed to make the Western Conference finals. After a lack of fit with former first-round picks Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman, and Jordan Poole, the Warriors pivoted from the two-timeline approach to more veteran players such as Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis. Butler has been out since January with a season-ending torn ACL, while Horford and Porzingis have struggled to stay on the court due to injuries and medical conditions.
Injuries have ravaged the Warriors this season. Curry has played 29 games this season, his fewest since the 2019-2020 season. He remains out with a knee injury and will be reevaluated this week. Curry remains effective when he plays, averaging 27.2 points and 4.8 assists while shooting 39.1% from behind the arc. Moses Moody also went down with a ruptured left patellar tendon.
The Warriors are 36-38 this season and are currently the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
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