The Trade: Golden State Warriors acquire Kawhi Leonard from the LA Clippers for Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney, Moses Moody, 2028 first-round pick (unprotected), 2030 first-round pick (protected 1-3 and 21-30), 2029 first-round swap

If the Warriors were willing to offer Paul George a four-year, $212 million extension, they should be just as comfortable paying the remaining $150 million on Kawhi Leonard’s deal. Maybe even more comfortable, considering the Dubs need to be thinking about additions that maximally move the needle during what remains of Stephen Curry’s prime—even if they come with huge risks.

For Golden State to break into the contender class, it needs a legitimate second star to support Curry. Leonard, who played 68 games last season and outpaced Steph in both Estimated Plus/Minus (a rate stat) and Estimated Wins (a cumulative stat), could do much more than that.

Depending on the night, he’d often be the Warriors’ best player—whether Curry was in the lineup or not.

The Clippers cited a desire for flexibility in the release explaining why they didn’t keep George around on a max contract. Breaking up Leonard’s deal into several smaller ones would help further that aim. Wiggins’ remaining $85 million looks pretty good compared to Leonard’s nearly twice-as-large sum over that same span. Looney and Payton are both expiring, and Moody is a quality rotation player hiding in plain sight.

The picks and swaps Golden State is sending should really entice the Clippers, who don’t control their own 2026 or 2028 first-rounders. The price the New York Knicks paid for Mikal Bridges skews the value of draft compensation, but with Leonard’s health history, two firsts and a swap might be enough to get it done.

Brandin Podziemski has been off the table all summer, but if LA wanted Jonathan Kuminga (who’s eligible for an extension that could net him over $30 million per year), it’d be easy enough to swap him and Trayce Jackson-Davis in for Looney.