Ranking Top Trade Packages and Landing Spots for Kawhi Leonard

Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be the subject of more trade rumors than any other NBA player over the next few weeks, but there's only one organization that will land him.

And whenever that deal happens, those who came up short could redirect their attention to another star forward who may not make much sense on his current team anymore.

Despite Kawhi Leonard playing 65 games, averaging 27.9 points and making Second Team All-NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers missed the 2026 playoffs.

And after failing to truly contend for a title in any of Kawhi's seven seasons with L.A., the team could easily justify dealing him and his $50.3 million expiring contract.

Leonard will soon be 35, and he has a lengthy and concerning injury history. But if he's made available, there are still some teams that would be closer to short-term contention if they acquired him.

And we have the three best options below.

3. Golden State Warriors

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Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Jimmy Butler, No. 11 pick and a 2031 first-round pick swap

Golden State Warriors Receive: Kawhi Leonard

With Jimmy Butler tearing his ACL in January, he's likely to miss (if not all) of the 2026-27 campaign. And in the twilight of Stephen Curry's career, the Golden State Warriors simply cannot afford to have $56.8 million on the books for a player who can't get on the floor.

Trading his expiring contract seems like one of the most obvious plays on any board this summer, and attaching some draft capital to him could be enough to make the Clippers bite.

No, this deal doesn't give L.A. anyone who'll help it compete this year, but this team is far enough away from meaningful contention that that probably doesn't matter.

Young talent from this draft and another asset for the future will do more for a core with Darius Garland, Bennedict Mathurin (assuming he's re-signed) and Yanic Konan Niederhäuser than one year of Kawhi.

For the Warriors, a first-round pick in a strong draft and potentially another in five years probably feels like a pretty steep price for a player entering his age-35 season and dragging his list of injuries behind him. But again, Kawhi just played in enough games to qualify for postseason awards and made an All-NBA team.

There's no guarantee he'll do that again, but even if Golden State got 95 percent of that player, he and Curry would be one of the West's most dynamic duos.

No one would be picking them over the younger contenders like the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, but they'd at least have a puncher's chance against anyone.

2. Miami Heat

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Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Miami Heat Receive: Kawhi Leonard and Derrick Jones Jr.

The Miami Heat are one of those teams that's consistently been linked to Giannis. But again, there will be a lot of suitors in that chase. And if someone beats Miami's offer, it could put up fewer assets and potentially land Kawhi.

This deal obviously makes the Heat quite a bit older, but Leonard raises the team's ceiling higher than the combination of Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez Jr. did. And in this framework, Kawhi isn't the only addition for Miami.

Derrick Jones Jr. isn't just a throw-in. He's one of the best athletes in the league, has averaged double-figures in fewer than 28 minutes per game in each of the last two seasons and shoots well enough from three to at least make opponents pay attention to him outside.

And the potential of a defense with those two, Davion Mitchell, Kel'el Ware and Bam Adebayo could be pretty scary for the rest of the East.

For the Clippers, this deal obviously doesn't come with the draft capital of the Warriors' offer, but they'd stay competitive through 2026-27 (and potentially beyond) while also getting younger.

Adding Herro could also make letting Mathurin go a lot easier. And Jaquez being a Southern California native doesn't hurt either.

This framework gives L.A. multiple wings to deploy between Garland and Niederhäuser, two of which are pretty close to the developmental timeline of Garland.

1. Detroit Pistons

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Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert, Ron Holland and a 2031 first-round pick

Detroit Pistons Receive: Kawhi Leonard

This is the deal that makes the most sense for Kawhi because this situation almost certainly requires less of him than either the Warriors or Heat.

Both of those teams obviously have real stars in place, but Curry is 38 and Adebayo is not an offensive engine (a strange but true statement for a player who scored 83 points in a single game).

In Detroit, Leonard would be joining one of the best up-and-coming playmakers in the NBA in soon-to-be-25-year-old Cade Cunningham. He'd have plenty of close-to-stress-free looks generated for him by Cade. And in turn, he'd almost certainly lighten the sometimes massive offensive load on Cunningham's shoulders.

Pairing those two without losing Jalen Duren (who'll be a restricted free agent this summer) would give the Pistons one of the most dangerous trios in the East.

And though losing Ron Holland and Isaiah Stewart would cost the team some of its "Bad Boy" demeanor, replacing them with Kawhi could make up for that with a bit more calculated defense.

For L.A., this deal gives them one intriguing prospect in Holland (who turns 21 this summer), three veterans who can help Garland keep the team competitive now and a potentially valuable pick that won't convey until Leonard is likely out of the league.