It's common knowledge that the Golden State Warriors would like to give Stephen Curry an opportunity to compete at the highest level late in his career. The 38-year-old is already a four-time NBA champion and continues to perform in a star-caliber manner on an individual basis, albeit while lacking the ideal surroundings to truly contend.
When running through the long list of dream Curry co-stars whom the Warriors have been linked to, the latest is both crazy and rational at the same time: Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard, 34, missed 45 games in 2024-25 and has spent much of his career in an ongoing battle with injuries. He played 68 games in 2023-24, however, and is currently at 60 in 2025-26. That seems to have renewed the Warriors' faith in the future Hall of Famer as an ideal trade target.
According to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, the Warriors previously expressed interest in Leonard and are expected to reignite their pursuit over the summer.
Information nugget to illustrate the Warriors' mindset:
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) April 2, 2026
Multiple NBA sources indicate that they were close a deal for Kawhi Leonard at the deadline before the Clippers pulled out -- and that GSWs plan to be just as aggressive this offseason trying to line up one more run. https://t.co/UitJ0gLYAV
It's unclear if the LA Clippers would be willing to trade Leonard, but it's a promising sign that negotiations progressed to some degree before the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
Warriors pursued Kawhi Leonard at deadline, will try again over summer
Leonard has been in All-NBA form during what's been nothing short of a remarkable 2025-26 season. He's averaging 28.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.6 three-point field goals made on .503/.380/.899 shooting.
Considering Curry currently leads the Warriors in scoring at 27.1 points per game, the idea of building a rotatoin around two high-volume scorers is undeniably appealing.
Furthermore, Leonard isn't just a regular season player who may or may not be able to elevate the Warriors. He's two-time NBA champion and two-time Finals MVP who has been as brilliant in the postseason as anywhere else.
Leonard is also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and six-time All-NBA honoree who's all but guaranteed to secure a seventh nod if he meets the 65-game minimum in 2025-26.
Kawhi Leonard is worth the risk after stellar 2025-26 season
The question, of course, is simple: Can the Warriors trust Leonard to stay healthy? After losing Jimmy Butler to a season-ending torn ACL early in 2025-26, they know all too well about how risky it can be to bet on players in their 30s—particularly when they have massive contracts.
With Leonard being an all-time great postseason player and a selfless offensive talent who can play both on and away from the ball, however, this is just crazy enough to work.
Leonard is shooting 38.2 percent on catch-and-shoot three-point field goals, which speaks to the ideal nature of his fit in Steve Kerr's motion offense. He's also scoring 7.8 points via drives on 52.1 percent shooting. He's even No. 8 in the NBA in isolation points per game.
There's inevitable risk involved in trading for Leonard given his injury history, but the Warriors would still be wise to at least discuss the viability of a trade this coming summer.