[Sharp ShooterParticipant]

I would like to to see Kawhi Leonard in a pistons uniform. I think he fits exactly what the pistons need (scoring wing player). Also he can defend multiple positons, and is defensive minded.  Low maintenence. doesn’t need to score to make his presence known and is versatile…more importantly disciplined (which will work well with SVG, and what he’s "building")

The question is who would the pistons give up. Their current cap situation is a nightmare, but I would believe that the trade wold have to revolve around Andre Drummond. Also I believe the spurs would want Stanely Johnson (they were asking about him earlier this season, and last). Im fine if we part with Drummond due to the fact that  I don’t think the Griffin-Drummond duo would work. Also, Kawhi would be the huge upgrade in every category. Detroit hasn’t had a  elite, lockdown defender since…Ben Wallace (Avery Bradley doesn’t count). If we still have reggie ( which I doubt) I can see as the 3rd scorer..and Blake and Leonard as the leaders

  On the spurs side, It give them a superstar center to build around. Also Drummond can work well with either Aldridge or Gasol. Drummond can allow drummond to be in paint, and Aldridge/GAsol to play outside where they both are more comfortable as Jumpshooters. Spurs are a class act organization, Drummond can benefit from playing with a great coach like Pop. Stanely Johnson can be a solid 6th man/defender  off the bench.  SA hasn’t had a dominant Center since….David Robinson (TD doesn’t count)

I would assume more pieces/picks are to be added but mainly centers around Drummond/johnson and Leonard/(another spurs players)

 

Thoughts

[BlazermannParticipant]

 Him on the 6ers would be nice 

[kobyzParticipant]

 would celtics agree to send both brown and tatum bor kawhi and the 18th pick?

[HazelParticipant]

 Brown and Tatum have 5 and 6 years respectively before they will (if they ever do) command a salary near what Kawaii makes.  The Brown-Tatum wing tandem is my favorite in the league when taking into account the next ten years and salaries. 

Boston should go hard after Cousins with their assets. 

  

[Bird_YearsParticipant]

 Was with you until the Cousins idea. I couldn’t find a less Boston type player even if I looked through the D-League. When Kyrie and Hayward are back Cousins will offer obsolutely nothing that Boston doesn’t already have. Boston will have an abundance of scoring, ball-handling and passing, the only things that Cousins does well. It’s true you’re missing a true starting centre but Cousins brings much more downside than upside

[OhCanada-Participant]

 If you asked this question before Kawhi’s injury people would have thought you were crazy for even suggesting trading a Top 5 leaguewide player but now pre injury it seems people think your crazy for suggesting trading 2 young players with great upside.

[HazelParticipant]

 I’m not sure Johnson is worth more than a 2nd round pick.  He is an average defender with no length and not great footspeed.  He is a poor shooter.  He has a below average basketball IQ.  He is basically Jae Crowder with a lower basketball IQ.  

Drummond is one of those players (and there are a lot of them) who is not worth the max even though he gets the max.  He is just not a great defender, he can’t spread the floor.  He is a great finisher and roll guy with excellent passing, so with great coaching (Pop) he could get there.  But, Kawaii is GREAT at everything when healthy.  

The problem lies in the lack of playmakers on SA if this move were to happen.  As it now stands, the only above average playmakers are 37 and 40 and don’t have the athleticism to carry the team.  I really like Murry but, he needs someone else to help carry the load.  

My take is that SA only moves Kawaii if they don’t think he will ever be the same player (not likely) or they go into full rebuild.  (Slightly more likely).

Once again, it seems Boston is in the catbird’s seet regarding assets…

 

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 I would like to see him on the Pelicans. Maybe they can do a sign and trade for Kawhi, which would be something like Cousins, picks, and cash.

Kawhi at the 3 with the Jru/Rondo backcourt and the AD/Mirotic big man combo would be LETHAL. 

What about Utah?

They look like a team that is a super star away from a potential dynasty.

That trade would be Favors (sign and trade), other assets (Ingles?), and picks for Kawhi.

Then you have a BIG FOUR of Kawhi, Gobert, Mitchell, and Rubio.

As a Grizzlies fan I would even contemplate our lotto pick (top 5), 32, and Chandler Parsons contract for Kawhi Leonard and a 2019 second round pick.  

Don’t think the salaries work — if they threw in Pau Gasol, too, that would work I think.

Conley, Marc, and Kawhi would be a great big 3. We would still have Dillon Brooks. Maybe we even resign Tyreke Evans.

Basically, I would give up a lot of stuff for at least a couple of years of Conley, Tyreke, Kawhi, Pau, and Marc with Dillon Brooks as our 6th man.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[220Participant]

 I may be in the minority, but I’d like to see Kawhi and the Spurs reconcile. Everything about Kawhi screams Spurs player to me even though, if healthy, he’d be good on any NBA team.

[whiteflashParticipant]

 I’m with you. Not that my opinions or hopes (for lack of a better term) matter, but Leonard just seems to belong in a Spurs jersey.

[goddagParticipant]

 I would be great if the Wolves traded Wiggins for Kawhi. If it takes this years draft pick so be it.

 

 

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 My sources are saying it’s a done deal he will be a Laker.

[MopgrassParticipant]

 The Spurs don’t like to trade within the division. I think the Spurs hash it out with him. They have to. 

But if he is traded, his value is way down. I’ve head Brown and Tatum from the Celtics, I’ve heard Ball, Kuzma, and Ingram from the Lakers. All of that is insanity. His value tanked. 1) The league believes he has to be traded 2) He has an ongoing, mystery facet to his “injury” 3) Worse, some may think the injury is all in his head and that he’s a head case. 

The Spurs wouldn’t get close to what he’s worth. They’ll keep him. 

 

 

[Miko4rm206Participant]

 The Spurs don’t trade wthin their division is not a good enough reason why he wouldn’t be traded to the Lakers.

The ball is in Kawhi’s court much like Melo this off season. Kahwi has 1 more year on his contract and the next team that receives him and trades assets for him is not gonna do it for a 1 season rental.

The Lakers are interesting b/c he is a L.A native and they do have the assests and cap space. It all depends on who else signs there as a free agent and we can expect the next move by kawhi  either forcing a trade or finnishing out next seasonson in SA.

 

 

 

[frogmanParticipant]

 I love when random internet dudes on public forums have their own sources.

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

 He would fit in nice in Miami. Maybe discruntled Ehitesides could be the start of a trade package.

[whiteflashParticipant]

 The Spurs wouldn’t touch Whiteside with a ten foot pole.

[HitsterParticipant]

 ESPN did some possible Kawhi trades, they didn’t impress me much!

Would Spurs shop LMA too, they were reputed to be shopping him last summer and he has had an excellent season since, he was an All Star again and had his 2nd best ever scoring season. He will turn 33 in the summer and has 3 years on a deal but a team wanting to win now may be interested as he is proven and he is very durable.

If Spurs moved both they could almost rebuild in a couple of drafts?

 

 

[cohenbc1Participant]

 First of all, Kawhi has a player option for 2019-20 so no one is going to trade assets for him unless they believe they can resign him. That rules out Detroit, Utah, Memphis, Minnesota and most of these other places. 

Boston might think they have a chance, and if I ran the Spurs I would jump for joy at the thought of getting both Brown and Tatum (I think they’d also have to throw in Baynes or a similar contract to make it work). You’d have to at least momentarily consider that trade even if Kawhi were healthy and happy, if the Spurs still lagged behind Houston and Golden St. 

ESPN suggested Kawhi for Kyrie straight up, but I don’t like that as much for the Spurs. I don’t think Kyrie will ever be as impactful as Kawhi, but both Brown and Tatum could potentially be.

For the Celtics though … do you really want to build your team around three guys coming off major injuries?

 

 

 

[The GoatParticipant]

 Would be incredible in Philly. Simmons Leonard Covington Saric Embiid. That is a nightmare for the opposition on both ends. Id offer Fultz, the Lakers pick,  an unprotected first (2 years down the road), Holmes, Korkmaz and any other Euro picks they have stashed. 

[SmooveKRYPTParticipant]

Last years draft day trades are going to be the blueprint for how it goes with Kawhi if he’s moved…For Jimmy the Bulls got LaVine, Dunn, #7 (Markkanen) For PG the Pacers got Oladipo & Sabonis.

I use these examples because those 2 guys were also elite 2 way wings whose commitment to their teams at the time was in question and the supermax extension looming. Kawhi is without a doubt better than both of those guys, but the injury uncertainty factors into just how much they’ll get for him. Still the going rate seems to be at least 2 controllable lottery pick talents 25 & under (underachieving in the prior situation obviously wasn’t a deal breaker) and potentially a top 10 pick in this draft without taking back salary from over the hill guys.

The trades were similar but also very different in that Oladipo had already been extended at a salary similar to PG’s, while the Wolves gave up 3 guys on rookie deals and used their cap space to make up the remaining salary. Also, Butler still had 2 years + an option remaining on his deal while PG only had 1+1 – same as Kawhi.

I’ve been playing around with trade machine and there’s no obvious deals…but here’s a few scenarios I could see being discussed:

Boston for Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris and multiple first rounders. SA will obviously ask for Tatum too and likely get turned down.

Charlotte for Kemba, MKG, and their lotto pick.

Milwaukee for Thon Maker, Khris Middleton, and Brogdon or #17.

Philly for a heavy pick based package.

LAC for Tobias Harris plus their 2 lotto picks (still doesn’t feel like enough.)

LAL for Ingram & either Ball or a future 1st + filler contracts.

Minnesota for Wiggins + Tyus Jones & Patton.

Phoenix for Josh Jackson + Chriss/Bender.

Portland for McCollum/Lillard + pick of the litter young player.

[HitsterParticipant]

 ESPN had suggested Ingram for Kawhi straight up. I wonder if Boston might consider dangling Hayward for Leonard straight up. It might be harsh on Hayward but with Tatum and Brown playing well, Boston may decide to dangle Hayward.

The Celtics potentially get Leonard and could run a smallball line up Irving, Brown, Leonard, Tatum and Horford.

Spurs get an All Star back in Hayward and he’d seem the sort of player the Spurs would like and Spurs could send Gasol to Boston and get him off the books too.

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

A big market team like Lakers or Knicks would appeal to Kawhi but Knicks don’t have a strong enough support squad and Lakers have cap space so may look at FAs first.

[HitsterParticipant]

 The issue with Kawhi is also apart from his contract running down what is his injury situation like, look at Isdiah Thomas after a couple of stellar years with Boston he was traded away and extra pieces had to be added due to him being injured.

Kawhi has never played more than 74 games in a season, his rookie year he only missed two games in the shortened 2011-12 season but since then he has missed 24, 16, 18, 10, 8 and 73 games across his next 6 seasons.

The years he played 72 and 74 games we can count as durable seasons but even when he won his first DPOY award he missed 18 games that year.

A fit, motivated Kawhi on his 2016-17 form is a top 5 potential NBA player even top 3 according to some respected guys on here.

Now we have Poppovich saying that Leonard will be punished and we all know Gregg has built his success on having a team that buys into his ideas. The legendary Manchester Utd Manager Sir Alex Ferguson had two golden rules – any player who challenged his authority as manager or who was a bad influence in the dressing room was moved on. I could see Gregg operating a similar mindset.

 

[Author]

Posts