The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and for the Golden State Warriors, it was a day of mixed emotions and missed opportunities. While they did make a splash by acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and shipping Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors, the front office ultimately stood pat as the clock ticked down. And now, with the dust settling, there’s a lingering sense that something bigger might’ve slipped through their fingers.
Let’s talk about the move that shook up the Western Conference: the L.A. Clippers trading Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers.
On paper, it’s a solid deal for Indiana, giving them a reliable interior presence. But for Golden State, the real headline isn’t about Zubac-it’s about the ripple effect that trade had, and more specifically, what it might have prevented.
Because here’s the thing: that Zubac deal came late-within the final 90 minutes before the deadline. And it may have closed the door on a much bigger opportunity. We’re talking about Kawhi Leonard.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, multiple teams were making calls to the Clippers trying to gauge the availability of the two-time Finals MVP. But with the clock working against them and the Clippers already in motion with other deals, there just wasn’t enough time to get anything substantial off the ground.
And that’s where the Warriors come in.
Golden State had already made one significant move in bringing in Porzingis, and they’d previously sent Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks. But even after those deals, there was still a theoretical path to a Leonard trade.
A package built around Porzingis, Draymond Green, and draft capital could have at least opened the conversation. Would the Clippers have been interested?
That’s debatable. But the idea of pairing Kawhi Leonard with Stephen Curry, especially with Jimmy Butler set to return next season, is enough to make any Warriors fan dream a little.
Leonard’s injury history is well documented, and it’s something any front office would have to factor in. But when he’s healthy, he’s still one of the most dominant two-way players in the league.
This season, he’s been nothing short of elite-averaging a career-best 27.6 points per game, along with 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.0 steals, while shooting nearly 50% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. That’s not just All-Star production-that’s MVP-caliber impact.
Now, it’s fair to wonder: if the Zubac trade had gone down earlier, would the Warriors have had enough time to get serious about Leonard? That’s the million-dollar question. Timing is everything in the NBA, and sometimes the biggest moves are the ones that don’t happen-not because teams didn’t want them, but because the window to make them just wasn’t open long enough.
So now, Golden State moves forward with Porzingis in the fold, but without the kind of blockbuster swing that could’ve changed the trajectory of their season. Whether that ends up being a missed opportunity or a blessing in disguise remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: the idea of Curry and Kawhi sharing the court in a Warriors jersey will be one of those “what if” scenarios that lingers long after this deadline fades into memory.