Warriors Reporter: Warriors to Pursue James and Leonard with $15 Million Salary This Summer

Before the regular season concludes, Warriors reporter Tim Kawakami published an article titled "A Necessary Measure in Dire Straits: This Summer, the Warriors Should Pursue Leonard or James." The full text, totaling 3040 words, reads as follows:

Could the Warriors' best and most dazzling offseason move truly be going all out to acquire Kawhi Leonard or LeBron James?

I believe it's possible. I think all the difficulties and worrisome signs this season are steering the Warriors toward this critical path. Moreover, I believe such a bold move could genuinely succeed.

After recent trials, next season—likely Curry's last as a consensus top-ten player—must be immensely valuable for the Warriors. Saving this season requires dramatic, significant actions.

Considering everything that has happened and continues to unfold this season—Curry's ongoing injury absence, the increasing uncertainty of returning to contention next season—what, after all, is the greatest risk?

First, let's clarify: even months ago, the idea of adding Leonard or James as massive gravitational forces into the Warriors' system would have been perplexing. They are great players, but they are exceptionally complex figures, difficult to integrate into any locker room or tactical system, especially during Curry's final peak years.

Moreover, there remains a chance Curry could spark a strong surge in the playoffs over the coming weeks, develop chemistry with Porzingis, make everyone optimistic about the Warriors' prospects for 2026-27, and lay groundwork for the future while waiting for Butler (possibly until January or February next year) to recover from an ACL tear and Moody (perhaps slightly later) from a patellar tendon tear, perfectly timed for the 2027 playoff run.

But that outcome is not the most likely scenario. More probable is the Warriors stumbling into the playoffs this spring, then limping into the offseason, completely unsure whether Porzingis, Melton, or even Green will return next season on viable contracts.

Without action this offseason, what are the Warriors? All question marks. All worries.

A stark reality: the Warriors currently have only four players both signed for next season and expected to be healthy and fully available for training camp. Those are Curry, Podziemski, Gui Santos, and Richards.

Butler and Moody have contracts but will still be midway through lengthy recoveries when training camp begins.

Draymond, Melton, and Horford hold player options for next season and could become unrestricted free agents.

Porzingis, Gary Payton II, and Seth Curry will become unrestricted free agents.

Potter and Spencer will be restricted free agents.

Thus, whether the Warriors retain some players or lose some, their core roster will consist of Curry, possibly Draymond, Podziemski, Santos, Richards, Potter, Spencer, two severely injured players, and their first-round draft pick.

Folks, that's clearly not good enough. Not that Friday's five-point win over a struggling, tanking Wizards at Chase Center is hugely significant, but...folks, the Warriors lack sufficient personnel. Even with injured players returning, it's not enough. (And there could always be more injuries.)

Additionally: for different reasons, either Leonard or James might potentially be acquired below max salary, without any trade assets. What other way could the Warriors essentially get a future Hall of Famer for free to conclude the Curry era?

Here are the necessary steps to realize this possibility:

• The Warriors must escape the luxury tax to use the approximately $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception—roughly the minimum salary I believe James or Leonard might accept to join the Warriors.

But to make the team attractive to superstars, they must achieve this without destabilizing the foundation. How? They could attempt to sign Draymond (replacing his $27.7 million player option) and Porzingis to moderate two-year contracts, perhaps around $40 million each over two years. I won't detail all calculations, but bringing back these two at such prices, plus six already contracted players, would commit about $184 million for eight players.

Adding roughly $6 million first-year salary for the potential No. 11 pick would bring nine players' salaries to about $190 million—$11 million below the luxury tax line.

On that basis, the Warriors could use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for a star...and continue filling out the roster with minimum salaries or rookie contracts, as long they stay below the projected $209 million first hard cap.

This would be stressful. Requires extensive maneuvering. If Draymond, Porzingis, and Kawhi or LeBron take slightly less than I outlined, it would help the Warriors, but these are negotiable.

• As mentioned, the Warriors might land the No. 11 pick in this year's high-quality draft—interesting players like Louisville's Mikel Brown, Tennessee's Nate Ament, or Arizona's Braden Burris are projected around this spot.

I think any of these players could likely enter the rotation's end immediately, perhaps even get more minutes. That's another attractive factor for veteran stars eyeing the Warriors' roster.

If the Warriors manage to jump into the top four after the lottery, things get more intriguing—last year the Mavericks climbed from No. 11 to No. 1 (and selected Cooper Flagg).

But for the Warriors, even staying at No. 11 or 12 in this decent draft isn't bad; they just need to accumulate as much healthy talent as possible.

• Regarding Kawhi, depends on rumors circulating for months—the league might, as part of a ruling after completing salary circumvention investigations, declare his contract with the Clippers void.

This likely means the Clippers couldn't even execute a sign-and-trade for Leonard. He'd become a completely unrestricted free agent, but only seven teams have actionable cap space—one being the Clippers, but post-ruling, that might not be an option.

What does Kawhi want? Would he accept less money for the chance to play alongside Curry? Does he still care about such things? Does he want to integrate into a locker room with Curry, Draymond, and Butler? We'll delve deeper into all this when the contract is voided and more information emerges.

But note recent NBA sources revealing several teams contacted the Clippers before the trade deadline inquiring about Kawhi, wondering if the Clippers might want to shed Kawhi's trouble before a league ruling. The Clippers didn't engage, but I don't doubt one inquiring team was the Warriors.

Oh, by the way, 34-year-old Leonard is experiencing one of his healthiest, best seasons in years; he remains a supremely talented player, evidenced anew by Friday night's game-winning shot in Indianapolis.

Clearly, any short-term, non-max deal with Leonard would undergo the strictest scrutiny in sports history. No tricks this time. But if Kawhi truly accepts $15 million as starting salary, the Warriors definitely have a chance.

If he joins the Warriors and they retain Porzingis and Draymond, the lineup would look like:

Backcourt Curry and Podziemski, frontcourt Kawhi and Draymond, center Porzingis.

When Butler returns, Podziemski could shift to a backup role alongside Santos, Richards, and returning Moody, possibly plus Potter.

Is this a championship-caliber rotation? It would be the closest the Warriors could get without mortgaging all future assets, and I believe Curry would absolutely endorse it.

• Rumors about LeBron joining the Warriors have circulated for years. Same salary story: he'd likely need to reduce to $15 million to consider the Warriors.

The Warriors and Lakers could also execute a sign-and-trade, boosting LeBron's salary, but that would require sending Butler, Draymond, or Porzingis to the Lakers, which I deem impractical for either side.

Who knows what LeBron will pursue in July? He might retire, return to the Lakers, choose another team. But he's friends with Curry and Draymond, and not long ago won Olympic gold with Curry and Steve Kerr.

(By the way, you can almost be sure if this materializes, the Warriors would do everything to keep Kerr coaching this team next season. And I think that wouldn't require much persuasion.)

It's possible. It's bold, somewhat reckless. But going all-out for Kawhi or LeBron is precisely what the current situation demands of the Warriors. And Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy likely wrote these and more ideas on a whiteboard months ago.

Do you gamble on a star name that could complicate matters but exponentially increase championship odds? Or do nothing and watch this era fade quietly?

It's not even debatable, hasn't been since the Warriors shifted from dream scenarios to clear, urgent desperation. It's precisely in such times the wildest things can happen—and some of the most successful often follow.