NBA Rumors: The San Antonio Spurs, in the event that they trade Kawhi Leonard, will only accept “grand-slam” offers
The San Antonio Spurs are about to embark on a potentially franchise-changing offseason. This team that is currently assembled could look nothing like it does right now in a matter of months. And it really begins and ends with what happens with Kawhi Leonard.
We kind of know that Leonard wants out, or at least has some issues with Spurs management. And if he does stay, there is a fair amount of relationship mending that needs to take place, and soon.
However, with everything that’s been reported over the last few months, a Kawhi Leonard trade over the next few months feels like more of a forgone conclusion that ever at this point.
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And according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, if a Kawhi trade is the endgame, the San Antonio Spurs won’t accept anything less than a huge offer in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. On one hand, they should expect nothing but the best. On the other hand, that could get complicated.
"[via The Ringer]I’ve heard from multiple NBA executives that San Antonio won’t settle for anything less than a grand-slam offer. If offers were underwhelming around the draft and the start of free agency, the Spurs might opt to let the saga drag into training camp, or even into the season."
I’m not exactly sure what a “grand-slam” offer would look like in this context, but you’d think that it likely starts with a young, promising prospect and/or multiple first-round picks.
The teams that could afford that are aplenty. Two that quickly come to mind, and make a lot of sense in trading for him, are the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Where it becomes complicated is, Kawhi has one year remaining on his current deal. Is there a list of teams that Kawhi would be willing to re-sign long-term with? And if so, are those teams the same teams that have the “grand-slam” assets? That’s where this can get all the more difficult.