The allegations against the L.A. Clippers and Kawhi Leonard is the talk of the NBA world right now, with the Golden State Warriors certainly watching on given this is happening to one of their closest and most important rivals in the pacific division.
Yet there's also another reason why the Warriors will be monitoring the Leonard situation and the punishments handed down. There has been some chatter about the NBA taking the drastic step of voiding the forward's contract with the Clippers, essentially making him a free agent and open to exploring the market.
Acquiring Kawhi Leonard would instantly make the Warriors contenders
While Leonard becoming a free agent is certainly a long way from reality right now, it's something Golden State must simply take advantage of if the opportunity arises. This is a team that's currently viewed by most as outside the absolute top rung of contenders in the league, with the path to narrowing that gap not exactly obvious right now.
The Warriors do have future picks to utilize but that's not much help in a trade sense when you don't have the ability to match contracts for a 30-40+ million player, unless they were willing to give up Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green.
That may change mid-season when Jonathan Kuminga becomes trade eligible, but Golden State first have to get the young forward on a new contract that isn't the qualifying offer before they can even contemplate that idea.
Leonard becoming a free agent would suddenly change the conversation, giving the Warriors another avenue to target a top tier superstar. While there's always health question marks on the 34-year-old, he remains one of the most efficient two-way players in the league when healthy. Over the past three seasons Leonard has averaged 23.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 51.4% from the floor and 41.5% from 3-point range.
Can you imagine Golden State rolling out a starting five of Stephen Curry, Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Al Horford? Sure there's age and health concerns, but there's little doubt that would be a championship contender to rival every team around the league.
There's a lot to play out before that even becomes a possibility, and if it does there will be no shortage of interested parties. Whether the Warriors could even convince Leonard to pick them over other teams is a question within itself, but for the moment it's at least worth keeping track of in what's quickly emerged as the story of the offseason.