James or Kawhi! Warriors reportedly expected to pursue two superstars aggressively to bring a perfect conclusion to Curry's era.

On March 29 Beijing time, Warriors reporter Tim Kawakami reported that due to different reasons, Kawhi Leonard or LeBron James might accept a non-max contract to join this summer, and the Warriors would not need to give up any trade assets. The Warriors could potentially acquire a future Hall of Fame member, bringing a perfect end to Curry's era.

To realize this possibility, the following key steps need to be completed:

The Warriors must escape the luxury tax to obtain the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of about $15 million—this is also the minimum salary I estimate James or Leonard would accept to join the Warriors.

But to attract a superstar, the Warriors cannot dismantle their current roster. How? They could try to sign Draymond (replacing his $27.7 million player option) and Porzingis to moderate two-year contracts, such as around $40 million each for two years. If they retain both at this price, plus six players already under contract, the Warriors' eight-man roster total salary would be about $184 million.

Adding the first-year salary of the No. 11 first-round pick at about $6 million, the nine-man roster total salary would be about $190 million, $11 million below the luxury tax line.

Then the Warriors could use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign a superstar, and fill the roster with minimum salaries or rookie contracts, as long as they do not exceed the projected $209 million first apron.

The Warriors are likely to get the lottery No. 11 pick this season, and this draft class is quite strong. If the Warriors luckily jump into the top four in the lottery draw, the situation would become more interesting—just like the Mavericks last year moving from No. 11 to the top pick to select Cooper Flagg. Even staying at No. 11 or 12 is not bad for the Warriors; what they need most now is to accumulate healthy talented players as much as possible.

Leonard's joining possibility is based on rumors widely circulated for months: after the league concludes its investigation into the Clippers' violation of salary cap rules, Leonard's contract may likely be declared invalid.

This means the Clippers cannot even trade Leonard via sign-and-trade; he would become a completely free agent. Only seven teams in the league have effective salary cap space, including the Clippers—but after the investigation concludes, the Clippers are basically unlikely to be his choice.

What would Leonard want? Would he take a pay cut to play alongside Curry? Does he really care about these things? Would he be willing to integrate into a locker room with Curry, Draymond, and Butler? If his contract is indeed voided and more information emerges, we can delve deeper into these questions.

However, it is worth noting that recently NBA sources revealed that multiple teams contacted the Clippers before the trade deadline, asking if they were willing to move Leonard before the league's ruling. The Clippers did not engage in negotiations, but I have no doubt that one of the inquiring teams was the Warriors.

By the way, 34-year-old Leonard is having one of his healthiest and most outstanding seasons in recent years, still exceptionally talented, as proven by his clutch shot in Indiana on Friday.

Obviously, signing any short-term non-max contract with Leonard would require the strictest scrutiny in sports history, with no loopholes allowed. But if he truly agrees to join at a starting salary of $15 million, the Warriors definitely have a chance.

If Leonard joins while retaining Porzingis and Draymond, the Warriors' starting lineup would roughly be:

Backcourt: Curry, Podziemski

Frontcourt: Leonard, Draymond

Center: Porzingis

When Butler returns, Podziemski could move to the bench, alongside Santos, Richard, Moody (after recovery), and possibly Post.

Does this rotation have championship-contending strength? This is already the closest championship-caliber roster the Warriors can build without mortgaging the future, and Curry would absolutely support all these moves.

Rumors about the Warriors and James have circulated for years. The salary logic is similar: he likely needs to reduce his salary to about $15 million to possibly join the Warriors. The Warriors and Lakers could also attempt a sign-and-trade to increase James' salary, but this would mean sending Butler, Draymond, or Porzingis to the Lakers, which I believe is not feasible for either side.

No one knows what James will choose this July: retirement, returning to the Lakers, or joining another team. But he has close friendships with Curry and Draymond, and recently won an Olympic gold medal alongside Curry and Kerr.

This is not fantasy. The moves are bold, even somewhat reckless, but aggressively pursuing Leonard or James is precisely the choice the Warriors must make now. Lacob and Dunleavy Jr. might have written this plan and even more ideas on the whiteboard months ago.

Is it betting big on a top superstar who might cause locker room tension but greatly boosts championship odds, or staying inactive and letting Curry's era quietly fade?

The answer is already beyond debate. The Warriors have already fallen from ideal blueprints into a desperate reality. And in desperate situations, the most crazy moves often emerge—and often create the most successful legends.