It’s been more than a month since Kawhi Leonard’s trade request became public knowledge, and, despite some false starts and a brief moment of strong rumors prior to free agency, no real progress has been made.
Leonard is now eligible for his super-max extension, but all signs point to him continuing to push his way out of San Antonio. The Spurs, however, have little incentive to move their star until the right offer comes along, and it appears no one is willing to part with much as of now.
It had been previously reported that the Celtics were withholding their top five players from Leonard trade talks, as they are, like many others, wary of Leonard’s apparent desire to go to L.A. next summer. However, the latest report notes that many other teams have gotten involved in discussions, but, like Boston, they aren’t eager to give up much in a deal either.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, a number of teams including the Wizards, Raptors, and Blazers have all made calls to San Antonio about the availability of Leonard, but none have come close to offering a package that would entice the Spurs into a trade.
Still, the bidding war among Boston, Philadelphia and the Lakers never materialized. The Los Angeles Clippers, Denver, Phoenix, Portland, Toronto and Washington are among teams who’ve talked with San Antonio, league sources said.
As examples, no Blazers package includes Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum, league sources said. Because Leonard is a player teams fear could be a one-year rental, many offers are modified.
The story goes on to note that the Celtics still won’t put their five top guys on the table, while Philadelphia is keeping their young trio of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz out of conversations. The lack of reasonable offers could change soon if Leonard chooses to participate in USA Basketball camp, as the story indicates he is considering. While it’s easy to cite fear of Leonard bolting to L.A., the health status of his hip is likely a far bigger concern for teams as they want to know whether his quad is healthy and how close he is to being the guy that was an MVP candidate two seasons ago.
Him participating in USA Basketball camp would be fascinating for a few reasons, namely Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the one heading up the camp and we haven’t seen Leonard play since January. If he does show up, it will be quite the momentous occasion and could be the catalyst needed to spark some real trade discussions that could actually interest the Spurs, rather than teams trying to offer pennies on the dollar for one of the league’s top stars when healthy.
