Could Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James Both Join Stephen Curry's Warriors in 2027?

The Golden State Warriors are exploring significant roster changes to support Stephen Curry's championship ambitions, with potential targets including LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Trey Murphy III. While a genuine "grand plan" to land both James and Leonard has circulated this offseason, the realistic path to pulling off both moves remains narrow, according to multiple league sources.

The Reported "Grand Plan"

A widely shared report laid out a specific two-step framework for how Golden State could theoretically land both stars. "The Warriors reportedly have a 'grand plan' to potentially acquire Kawhi Leonard AND LeBron James," according to a report on X. "Step 1: Sign LeBron James using the $15M NTMLE. Step 2: Trade Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, and two first-round picks for Kawhi Leonard."

That outline reflects a strategy built around using two entirely separate transaction types — a free-agent signing for James and a trade for Leonard — rather than treating the two acquisitions as a single package deal.

Why James Is the More Realistic of the Two

Of the two stars, James represents the more financially attainable target for Golden State, primarily because his market value has shifted given his age. James would be easier for the Warriors to acquire than Leonard. The 41-year-old will be a free agent after the season. With that said, the Warriors could have access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of up to $15 million, which could be of interest to James, even though the four-time MVP is worth much more than that — it's possible no contender will offer him more than that figure given the league's tightened cap rules.

If James took the mid-level exception, it would be his lowest salary since the 2010-11 season with the Miami Heat. ESPN's Anthony Slater has reported that the Warriors are currently planning their offseason around the premise that James will indeed return to the Lakers instead — meaning Golden State's pursuit, while real, is currently considered a backup scenario rather than the favorite outcome.

Leonard Represents Golden State's True Preferred Target

According to The Athletic, citing reporting from NBA insider Jake Fischer, the LA Clippers' Kawhi Leonard is on the Heat's Plan B list, or the Golden State Warriors' Plan A list. That designation is telling. It signals that Leonard is the player the Warriors want most this summer, unless something drastic changes elsewhere.

The Warriors checked in on Leonard in the days leading up to the February trade deadline. The Los Angeles Clippers engaged to a greater degree than in the past, but they ultimately returned to the Warriors with the same answer: team owner Steve Ballmer said no. League sources said Ballmer has maintained a firm stance against a Leonard trade, preferring to continue building around his star forward.

Why Pulling Off Both Is So Difficult

The fundamental obstacle to landing both stars simultaneously comes down to roster construction and salary mechanics rather than simple desire. In a literal sense, the Warriors will have no salary-cap space this offseason. With their six players under standard contracts making $144.4 million and Draymond Green expected to make close to $20 million, they are already at the salary cap of $165 million.

Once the Warriors use their mid-level exception on James, their best remaining offer to any other free agent would be a veteran minimum contract — meaning any path to adding Leonard would have to come through a trade rather than free agency, using existing roster pieces and draft capital as the currency.

The Trade Mechanics Behind a Potential Leonard Deal

Any realistic trade for Leonard would likely need to be built around Golden State's highest-salaried trade chip. Jimmy Butler is the 10th-highest-paid player in the NBA, so if he is used as the matching salary in a blockbuster, that obviously helps. The Warriors have been linked quite a bit to Kawhi Leonard, and Butler makes $6.5 million more than Leonard does, giving Golden State a workable salary match if the Clippers were ever willing to engage.

What a Combined Roster Could Look Like

Analysts have sketched out what Golden State's starting lineup might resemble if both moves came together. A healthy starting five could be Curry, Podziemski or De'Anthony Melton, Leonard, Draymond Green, and Porzingis — assuming the Warriors also re-sign Kristaps Porzingis, who has emerged as a separate offseason priority and would give Golden State a floor-spacing center to pair with its perimeter stars.

Defensive Concerns With an Aging Core

Even if Golden State successfully assembled that roster, analysts have raised real questions about whether an older core could hold up defensively across a full season. The real questions here are defensive. Green is 36. Curry, 38, and James, 41, are even older. Smarts can only get you so far. Athleticism and endurance are critical components of defense as well, and the Warriors would have to get the rest of the roster right. A decade ago, putting James and Curry on the same team would have led to near-automatic championships. That's no longer the case.

The Leonard Investigation Adds Another Layer of Uncertainty

Beyond the financial and roster fit questions, an unresolved league matter continues to cloud any potential Leonard trade. No one around the league seems sure whether Leonard is truly on the market, or whether the NBA's ongoing investigation into the Clippers' alleged salary cap circumvention involving Leonard could become a problem for any team that takes him on.

The Bleacher Report Case for Leonard Specifically

Some analysts have specifically argued that Leonard, rather than James, represents the more logically complementary fit alongside Curry given their similar career stages. "Leonard feels almost a little too perfect for this team," analyst Zach Buckley wrote. "The 34-year-old, 35 in June, is in the same fight with Father Time as Curry and carries as many availability concerns as anyone." Leonard has one season remaining on a three-year, $149 million contract with the Clippers and is slated to have more than a $50 million cap hit in 2026-27, while Curry's own contract extension runs through the same 2026-27 season before he becomes a free agent in 2027.

A More Realistic Backup: Trey Murphy III

Given the difficulty of landing either Leonard or James outright, some reporting suggests Golden State's most attainable star addition may ultimately be a different player entirely. Murphy continues to be the most ideal trade target connected to the Warriors. He's just 26 years old and under contract for three more seasons at a bargain rate of $27 million in 2026-27, rising to $31 million by 2028-29 — a far more financially manageable target than either Leonard or James, even if his star power doesn't match theirs.

With the NBA Draft now complete and free agency negotiations opening June 30, the coming days will reveal how seriously Golden State pursues its most ambitious offseason scenario. Given Ballmer's continued public resistance to trading Leonard and the Lakers' presumed advantage in re-signing James, the realistic odds of both stars landing in Golden State simultaneously by 2027 remain genuinely long — though the persistent and credibly sourced interest from the Warriors in both players suggests the front office has not abandoned the idea, even if a more measured outcome involving just one star, or a more attainable piece like Murphy or a re-signed Porzingis, currently appears the more probable path forward for Curry's supporting cast.