Former Defensive Player of the Year winners, Draymond Green and Kawhi Leonard, had high praise for each other after the LA Clippers were eliminated from the play-in tournament by the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors won 126-121, as Green sealed the win for his team with two clutch steals in the final seconds of the game. Speaking after the game, Leonard and Green praised each other’s defensive effort in the game.
“Draymond, Hall of Fame defender,” Leonard said. “It was hard to even get shots up.”
“I got the utmost respect for Kawhi Leonard… I appreciate playing against the all-time greats,” Green said. “Kawhi is one of the greatest our game has ever seen. I don’t think there’s a player in our league who doesn’t respect Kawhi.”
The exchange between the two players led to Warriors fans claiming that Leonard, who faces an uncertain future with the Los Angeles Clippers, is bound for Golden State. Here are the most noteworthy reactions on X:
“Kawhi to the Warriors confirmed lol,” one fan said.
“Omg he’s recruiting him nooooooo,” another fan said.
“If Draymond takes a pay cut to sign Kawhi, I’ll go and build the statue at Chase Center myself,” one fan wrote.
“This screams ‘join us,’ lol,” another fan wrote.
“You gon love him next season,” a fan commented.
Report: Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers held talks over Kawhi Leonard trade
According to a report by Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard, the Golden State Warriors were close to trading for Kawhi Leonard last season.
“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,” Kawakami reported.
The Warriors were also involved in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo at the deadline in February. Reports also indicate that the team will be making another push to land a star player in the coming offseason.
Leonard, who will enter the final season of his deal with the Clippers in 2026-27, could be targeted by the Warriors this summer.
This season, Leonard turned 34, but showed no signs of slowing down, recording a career-high in points. He averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Read More: NBA Analyst Gives Steph Curry, Draymond Green Their Flowers For Spectacular Comeback Win vs Clippers
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