New Kawhi Leonard Trade Rumors Reveal How Close Warriors Came to Deadline Deal with Clippers

The Golden State Warriors were "close" to a trade for Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline before the Clippers pulled out of discussions, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard.

Per Kawakami, Golden State plans to be "just as aggressive" during the upcoming offseason while attempting to "line up one more run."

The Warriors were also among the teams pursuing Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo prior to the deadline, although a trade never materialized.

Golden State ended up acquiring Kristaps Porziņģis in a swap with the Atlanta Hawks instead, sending out Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield in return.

Porziņģis has been effective for the Warriors when healthy, averaging 17.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game on 44.9/37.3/82.0 shooting splits.

Still, Golden State appears to be targeting a larger splash on the trade market as it attempts to contend in the Western Conference with Stephen Curry's career winding down. While the 38-year-old Curry has missed time this season due to knee issues, he's shown that he's still one of the NBA's top point guards.

He could form an intriguing pair with Leonard, who has helped lead the Clippers to a 39-37 record after opening the season with a 6-21 mark.

The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is averaging a career-high 28.1 points to go along with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game this year. He's shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from behind the arc.

The Clippers own a plus-7.8 net rating with Leonard on the floor during the 2025-26 season compared to a minus-6.1 net rating with him off (via NBA.com).

He may not be the only star that the Warriors target, as they've also been linked to LeBron James ahead of his upcoming free agency.

For now, Golden State will look to end this season on a high note as it sits at No. 10 in the West with a 36-40 record.