[Shelburne/Slater] The Golden State Warriors offered substantial draft capital and multiple valued players for Kawhi Leonard at the trade deadline before being turned down. The Warriors are expected to revisit trade talks with the Clippers this Summer.
Ambition flickered inside Warriors headquarters as the trade deadline approached. They were waiting, league sources said, for word from the Los Angeles Clippers on a trade concept involving Leonard.
The Warriors had called about his availability a handful of times over the years and been quickly rebuffed. But the Clippers had signaled a possible sea change when they traded James Harden and engaged with multiple teams, including the Warriors, on what became a trade with the Indiana Pacers for Ivica Zubac.
The Clippers hadn’t given much oxygen to the Warriors’ pursuit. But they hadn’t given an outright rejection, either, and it gave the Warriors hope they might be able to hit one more big shot in an era defined by them. The Clippers brass brought the idea up top to governor Steve Ballmer for discussion.
By morning the Warriors had their answer. It was a no.
Each side has their version of how serious the talks were. Golden State believes the Clippers were at least considering it, which team sources said included strong draft capital and multiple players the Warriors valued. But this story has been told before. The Warriors also believed the Clippers were considering a free agency sign-and-trade pitch for Paul George in the summer of 2024, despite the Clippers having a wildly different opinion of how the talks went and the value of the package offered.
Some within the Warriors organization believe a Leonard trade was close. Others were skeptical. On the Clippers side, it was a steadfast no from Ballmer, who wields the ultimate hammer.
Either way, sources said there’s an expectation the Warriors could reengage the Clippers on Leonard’s availability this offseason.