Eastern Conference Team Would Take Kawhi Over Giannis

There are some huge names that could be traded around the NBA this offseason. Generally speaking, Giannis Antetokounmpo is pretty readily accepted by all to be the top target among the superstars that could be available. The two-time MVP and Finals MVP is a game-changer, and franchise-changer, when healthy.

Ah, but those final two words of the previous paragraph are the key: When healthy.

Because of the injury troubles that surrounded Giannis this past season (only 36 games played), one Eastern Conference team executive told insider Brian Windhorst that he would take the perennially injured Kawhi Leonard over Giannis right now if he had his druthers.

An Eastern Conference executive claims that everyone is ignoring that Kawhi Leonard has been "better and healthier" than Giannis Antetokounmpo over the last two seasons, per @WindhorstESPN

"Every day you hear about what's going to happen with Giannis [Antetokounmpo], but… pic.twitter.com/M8jYWS89Lg
— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) May 15, 2026

"Every day you hear about what's going to happen with Giannis, but everyone ignores that Kawhi has been better and healthier over the last two seasons," an Eastern Conference executive told Windhorst. "If you had a chance to acquire one or the other, I might go Kawhi."

Now, if you do the math, the exec is off by a tick. Kawhi has played a total of 102 games over the past two seasons combined, while Giannis has played 103. But with recency bias factored in, you can see why he's thinking that way. Kawhi had one of his "healthiest" seasons in years, playing 65 games and averaging a career-high 27.9 points.

Giannis, on the other hand, as we noted, played just 36 games (while still averaging 27.6 ppg when he played). He finished the season in a protracted dispute with the Bucks over whether or not he was healthy enough to play the final weeks of the campaign. He wound up not doing so, and last played on March 15, which is now almost certainly his final game in a Bucks uniform.

There is one other little issue with Kawhi, however, that any potential suitor needs to keep in mind. He and the Clippers have been under investiagation by the NBA for an alleged 'cap circumvention' scandal, and it's possible that Leonard will have his contract voided. He has one year remaining at $50 million.

Kawhi has two Finals MVPs, from 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs (yes, that's a long time ago), and 2019 with the Toronto Raptors. Giannis won his in 2021.

Incidentally, it was Kawhi who locked down Giannis on defense in the Raptors 2019 Eastern Conference Final victory over the Bucks.