Steph Curry’s Play-In heroics boost Warriors’ trade pursuit of $149 million Clippers star
· Yahoo Sports
Steph Curry’s Play-In heroics boost Warriors’ trade pursuit of $149 million Clippers star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors ended the Los Angeles Clippers' season on Wednesday night after notching a gritty 126-121 Play-In Tournament victory.
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As a result, the 4-time NBA champion might have drastically improved the franchise's odds of landing a perfect complementary superstar talent for one more full-fledged title push in 2026-27.
Curry scored 35 points (27 in second half) on 7-for-12 shooting from three-point range to pull the Warriors back from multiple double-digit deficits to keep the Warriors' season alive, outclassing the Clippers' 2-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in the process. The 34-year-old Leonard, an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027, could be ready to move on from Los Angeles after concluding his sixth season with the organization.
Rumors of a blockbuster swap involving Leonard have begun to swirl with the Clippers' elimination from postseason contention, and FanSided's Maxwell Ogden believes that Golden State came away with a crucial Leonard-related victory Wednesday night.
"Though advancing in the Play-In Tournament is the primary topic of conversation, the Warriors quietly secured another victory: A clearer path to acquiring Kawhi Leonard," Ogden wrote Thursday morning.
"After the Clippers were knocked out of the Play-In Tournament, one can't help but feel as though the dream of acquiring Leonard is more realistic than ever before."
"Though nothing is set in stone, the Warriors may very well have won twice in one night by winning a Play-In Tournament game and giving Leonard reason to consider moving on from the Clippers."
Acquiring the 7-time All-Star via trade this offseason would be a daunting task for the Warriors' front office. Leonard is owed $50.3 million for the 2026-27 campaign, meaning that a swap not involving Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green or any other meaningful piece is nearly impossible.
However, soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Kristaps Porzingis' $30.7 million deal is set to come off the Warriors' books in a few months, opening up some financial flexibility for the dynastic franchise.
Curry's search for a fifth championship ring persists, and Leonard's hypothetical addition would do plenty to help the Warriors leap back into the fray as serious title contenders in the Western Conference, if health permits.
Leonard poured in a career-high 27.9 points on impressive 50.5/38.7/89.2 shooting splits in 65 appearances for the Clippers this season. The 2-time Defensive Player of the Year also swiped 1.9 steals and compiled a solid 113 defensive rating per 100 possessions, proving to remain one of the elite two-way wings in the NBA.
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