The Golden State Warriors have been vocal about their goal to win games next season. Since they have Stephen Curry still on the roster, they want to try to win another title. Of course, that means they have to give him some help.
Curry is still the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA. Even at the age of 38, he can still make shots from anywhere on the court. Quite frankly, he is still one of the most exciting players in the league, as well. With that being a fact, Golden State is looking to get him a star to pair with him.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo is the player everyone wants to trade for, doing so for the Warriors seems unlikely. They have also been linked to Kawhi Leonard, and now that seems unlikely to happen, as well.
Warriors Get Bad News On Kawhi Leonard Front
According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, Steve Ballmer is unwilling to trade Leonard. Ballmer seems to think the Clippers are better by keeping him into next season.
“But team sources continue to indicate he’s the type of established wing talent they would pursue in a win-now maneuver, depending on the price point. The problem: League sources said Ballmer has maintained a firm stance against a Leonard trade, preferring to continue building around his star forward,” Slater wrote.
Leonard would certainly be the win-now kind of forward who would help the Warriors in a big way. With Jimmy Butler unlikely to be ready to start the season, Leonard would be the forward who can be a very solid two-way player. When Butler comes back, he would play next to Leonard.
Golden State was only able to make the play-in tournament this past season. Curry’s knee injury hurt them when it came to seeding, as he only played 43 games in the regular season. Adding Leonard comes with its own risks, as he is injury-prone as well.
Golden State Needs a Big Move to Compete for a Title
The only way that the Warriors have any shot of making a run at a championship next season is to make a serious shakeup with the lineup. Golden State had just the 19th-best offense in the league this past season. Part of that was the injuries to Butler and Curry, but they can still get improvements to help that end of the court.
If Leonard is off the table, that doesn’t leave the Warriors with too many other options. Bringing in LeBron James would help them get to a certain point, as he is best as a third option at this point. He wouldn’t move the needle in a meaningful way.
At that point, the best Golden State could do would be to improve the roster on the fringes. Curry deserves a chance to make one more deep postseason run. If both Antetokounmpo and Leonard are already off the table, they might not be able to get the superstar they desperately desire.
Golden State is going to be one of the teams to watch this offseason.
Warriors Get Disappointing News in Pursuit of Kawhi Leonard