​Rewritten: My Warriors Kawhi Leonard and Jaylen Brown report is bound to rile up fans, and it originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. This offseason has not been ideal for the Golden State Warriors, and I’m deeply concerned. Right now, the team doesn’t feel like a true title contender, and unless they manage to add LeBron James—despite the potential questions that would raise—it doesn’t seem Golden State has much of a chance to win next year. There’s plenty of parity around the league, so an aging Warriors roster could still rise to the top, but among the odds-on favorites, their prospects don’t look particularly strong.
That’s why the latest report is so surprising, suggesting Golden State showed little interest in Kawhi Leonard and was never considered a legitimate threat to land Jaylen Brown. “They were never close on a Kawhi Leonard deal and weren’t a significant part of the Jaylen Brown conversation,” as shared by Anthony Slater. The report notes that general manager Mike Dunleavy opted to preserve assets, draft Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11 in last month’s draft, and assemble a group of veterans similar to the one that finished 37-45 last season, hoping for better health from Stephen Curry, the anticipated return of Jimmy Butler III, and a strategic pivot ahead of the February trade deadline. Coach Steve Kerr has openly urged lower expectations and acknowledged that the team wasn’t championship-caliber last season.
If I’d been in the Warriors’ shoes, I would have pursued either of those players, given the current lack of star power. Brown would have been the more alluring option for me at this point in his career, simply because Leonard is older, though it’s important to recognize that Leonard might still be the better player right now. Still, acquiring either of those players would have altered the franchise’s trajectory, and we’d be looking at a drastically different team today. Instead, Golden State enters the new season with numerous roster questions, unless they execute the necessary moves in the coming months to improve on both ends of the floor.
Other headlines to note include the Spurs’ decision regarding LeBron James that might not please all fans, reports of Spurs showing interest in a $28 million Lakers wing, the revealed price tag for a Klay Thompson trade that could intrigue the Warriors, the Lakers seeking to fix defensive issues through a well-rounded defensive upgrade, and the Mavericks weighing a Kyrie Irving trade—despite talk of Cooper Flagg, all of this for potentially stronger search engine optimization.