Kawhi Leonard trade rumors continue to heat up after NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Clippers star prefers to remain in Los Angeles despite interest from the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and Toronto Raptors.
According to reports, Detroit could emerge as a suitor if Leonard becomes available. A Kawhi-Cade Cunningham tandem might run the Eastern Conference. In a hypothetical trade package, they would have to give Ron Holland, Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, and a 2027 first-round draft pick.
They should be aiming to get a co-backcourt talent to pair with Cunningham, much like the Minnesota Timberwolves did for Anthony Edwards. However, Kawhi would have fit that skillset need anyway, just at a differing position (scoring/playmaking). Their starting lineup could be Cade, Ausar Thompson, Leonard, Tobias Harris, and Jalen Duren.
Trading for Leonard would be the ultimate move that would turn the Heat into title favorites. The defensive lineup with Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kawhi would arguably be one of the greatest in the league’s history.
They could potentially pull off the trade for Leonard, who is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high in scoring, with 27.9 points per game this season. Sixteen years ago, Pat Riley created the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh Big 3. Sixteen years later, he is looking to create another one. Their starting lineup could be Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, Kawhi, Antetokounmpo, and Adebayo.
Leonard is the next name to keep an eye on for the Spurs. They are already closely monitoring his situation with the Clippers and preparing for a trade. Just imagine Kawhi joining forces with Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama; their defense would be terrifying. San Antonio’s starting lineup could be De’Aaron Fox, Castle, Leonard, Jayden Quaintance, and Wembanyama.
It is unclear whether they have any interest in a reunion, given how the relationship ended in 2018. A reunion makes for a great story, but it just does not fit the direction they have spent the past year building.
Spurs GM Brian Wright has surrounded Wemby and Fox with youth, athleticism, versatility, and defensive depth and just doubled down by drafting players like Quaintance and Maliq Brown. Committing that much of your cap to an aging star with a lengthy injury history would be a major shift from the blueprint San Antonio has been following.
The Raptors are interested in reuniting with Kawhi and may pursue a trade for him. He famously had one of the greatest playoff runs in NBA history with the Raptors in 2019 after leading them to their first NBA championship by defeating the Golden State Warriors.
A hypothetical trade package could be centered around Brandon Ingram and draft compensation, and Gradey Dick if the Clippers star becomes available this summer. Toronto’s starting lineup could be Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl.
They have a chance to do something crazy. Let’s leave the championship history aside for a moment and talk about how good a dynamic duo of Barnes and Leonard would be. Scottie has never played with a scorer of Kawhi’s level, and Barnes’ ability to play-make and generate open shots for his teammates would complement Leonard so well.
The most interesting part concerns the player’s preferences. According to Fischer, Leonard would not be interested in a long-term extension with teams like Detroit or Miami in the event of a trade. The only two franchises outside the Clippers with which he would consider extending are Toronto and San Antonio.
Miami and Detroit are paying for a rental. At 34 years old, with his injury history, neither team is in a position to gamble big on this. But Toronto is playing a different game. They’d get the extension guarantee, so they can add the pick or picks to get it over the finish line.
The Clippers tampered 500 times in 2018-2019 to steal Kawhi. And his returning to Toronto is weirdly the karmic right thing to do. The Raptors have the defenders around him to reduce his load, a future All-NBA star in Scottie, a medical staff he already knows and trusts, and a country that already loves him.
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