Warriors Should ‘Place a Call’ to Kawhi Leonard

Getty Kawhi Leonard has yet to announce his decision.

What if there was a “mystery team” pursuing Kawhi Leonard in NBA free agency aside from the Lakers, Clippers or Raptors? The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor posed this hypothetical scenario on The Mismatch podcast with Chris Vernon and suggested the Warriors should “place a call” to try to make a move for Leonard. O’Connor pointed to the D’Angelo Russell signing noting that very few people predicted the move given the Warriors’ cap situation.

“Why wouldn’t Golden State at least place a call to Kawhi Leonard?… Why wouldn’t they at least go for Kawhi Leonard?” O’Connor pondered on the podcast. “It is financially possible to do a quadruple sign-and-trade or a triple sign-and-trade or a five-way sign-and-trade in order to get Kawhi Leonard. It is the most improbable possibility ever, but I was just thinking last night, ‘What if there were a mystery team?’ That’s it, because the reporting around the Russell part with the Warriors has been so odd. That’s why.”

It is important to note that O’Connor was brainstorming about possibilities for the Warriors, but did emphasize Golden State would be wise to explore. O’Connor does have a point in that the Warriors have made moves in the past for players like DeMarcus Cousins and Russell seemingly out of nowhere.

If the Warriors really were going to make a run at Leonard they likely would have held off on signing Russell. That said, it would not be all that surprising if Leonard was talking to other teams given he has not personally spoken about his free agency publicly.


The Warriors Are Facing a Salary Cap Squeeze

Russell will make less than Kevin Durant would have for Golden State. However, the Warriors already have Klay Thompson and Steph Curry signed to max contracts.

Draymond Green is also due for an extension. Once the Warriors officially sign Russell, they will not be able to trade him until the middle of the season based on NBA rules. Golden State may have the salaries to be able to make the trade work, but Leonard is looking at a max deal that escalates each year. ESPN’s Bobby Marks broke down the Warriors salary cap situation prior to the signing of Willie Cauley-Stein.

Once the roster is finalized, Golden State will project to have $138.5M in salary, $430K below the tax apron. The salary factors in the new contract of Kevon Looney, second round picks- Eric Paschall and Alen Smailagic, along with three minimum free agent contracts. Golden State is prohibited from exceeding the $138.92M hard cap.


Kawhi Has Met With the Lakers & Clippers

What we do know so far is that Leonard has met with the Lakers and Clippers. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Raptors are expected to get the last meeting with Leonard. The Clippers and Lakers meetings are believed to have already taken place.

“Kawhi Leonard has completed both his meetings with the #Lakers and #Clippers, a league source tells ESPN. He is also meeting with the #Raptors today. The rest of the basketball world awaits Leonard’s decision…,” ESPN’s Jordan Schultz tweeted.

If the Warriors were going to make a move for Leonard, they would have done it before signing Russell. The overall idea that Leonard’s free agency is a bit of a mystery does ring true.