Just months after the Golden State Warriors pursued a trade for Kawhi Leonard before February's deadline, rumors continue to fly surrounding the 7x All-Star's future at the L.A. Clippers.
The Warriors eliminated the Clippers in Wednesday's first Play-In game, with attention now turning towards Leonard's tenure at the franchise regardless of the outcome of the league's Aspiration investigation.
Potential Kawhi Leonard offseason trade is gaining traction
According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Clippers may even be looking to move off of Leonard after his arguably career-best year came to an end at the hands of some suffocating Draymond Green defense.
It wouldn't be overly surprising considering Los Angeles undertook a reset of sorts before the deadline, moving on from former MVP James Harden along with long-time starting center Ivica Zubac in separate deals.
Golden State pivoted to Leonard after their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo came to an end in February, and apparently they actually got close to a trade for the 2x Finals MVP according to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard.
The Los Angeles Clippers are looking to move off of Kawhi Leonard, per @IraHeatBeat
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Given there's a good chance both could be available this offseason, it will be interesting to see how much consideration and weight Golden State put into approaches for Antetokounmpo or Leonard.
Antetokounmpo is younger and would likely provide a far higher ceiling, but Leonard is still one of the best players in the game and should cost far less from a trade standpoint as the Warriors consider their future beyond Stephen Curry.
The 34-year-old averaged a career-high 27.9 points to go with 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists this season, shooting 50.5% from the floor and 38.7% from 3-point range while appearing in 65 games for just the second time in the last nine years.
Kawhi Leonard leadership question wouldn't matter at the Warriors
Questions have again been raised over Leonard's leadership after the Clippers surrendered a 13-point fourth-quarter lead to the Warriors on Wednesday, with the franchise having now not won a playoff series in the last five years.
Most teams that seek a move for Leonard would surely take that into consideration, but it doesn't particularly relate to Golden State because Curry would still be the leader and face of the franchise, perhaps in a similar mould to Kevin Durant's three years last decade.
The Warriors are therefore in a unique position to make a move for Leonard that could be incredibly beneficial for both parties, with the overall chances of the star forward finding a new team seemingly rising in the wake of the Clippers' elimination.
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