Beyond the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pacific Division is largely unimpressive and unintimidating. The Los Angeles Clippers have come on down the stretch but are still not much more than a pesky playoff out. The Phoenix Suns fall into a similar category, minus the second-half surge. The Golden State Warriors have been disappointing. The Sacramento Kings are, well, the Kings.
All of that could get a major shake-up, and it would involve two of those four competitors coming together.
The desperation to give Stephen Curry one more meaningful run in Golden State could have them knocking at Kawhi Leonard's door. Warriors insider Tim Kawakami suggested that was one of the things they were trying to cook up before this past NBA trade deadline.
Kawakami wrote: "Multiple league sources indicated this week that the Warriors were reasonably close to trading for Kawhi Leonard last February — apparently with much of the deal terms generally agreed to — before the Clippers ultimately decided to pull out of the talks."
Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Curry could give the Lakers a dreadful new hurdle
Kawakami reported that Leonard's name continues to be connected to the Warriors after the failed trade pre-deadline. The insider said a union could come through continuing trade talks in the summer, or reaching out to Kawhi if his contract is voided in the fallout from the investigation of the Aspiration scandal.
Leonard ending up with the Warriors after any potential action on the NBA's part makes a ton of sense. One would imagine after Kawhi left the Toronto Raptors to return home to California, staying close to home matters a lot. The Bay Area might be his best shot.
A return to the Clippers on a fresh deal would be reasonably expected as outlawed by Adam Silver and company. The Kings are, again, the Kings. The Lakers could be a possibility, but recent reports indicated Rob Pelinka is not interested in simply swapping out James' max salary for another star.
The Warriors give Leonard a chance to stay in California, close to home, and play competitive basketball. Kawhi gives Golden State an opportunity to make one last push for a fifth championship with Curry.
Is it a perfect marriage? Not quite.
Despite the largely healthy campaign in 2025-26, Leonard will always be a sizeable injury risk for any team. One unfortunate string of luck could crumble everything the Warriors attempted to build.
Nonetheless, the duo of two aging stars who headlined the 2010s would not be a fun out for anyone. Even with how great the Lakers could be, four head-to-heads in the regular season here would not be a formality by any stretch of the imagination.