The San Antonio Spurs are getting closer and closer to having to come to a decision on Kawhi Leonard’s future with the franchise. Do they keep the injured star, hoping to repair their relationship and offering him a substantial contract extension, or do they kick the tires on a trade for one of the best two-way players in the game?
Much of this decision, seemingly, will be made when Leonard sits down with Spurs brass for an all-hands meeting sometime in the future. Until then, we got a look into San Antonio’s thinking in the event that they do decide to pursue a trade thanks to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
O’Connor wrote that the Spurs aren’t necessarily acting hastily when it comes to moving Leonard. In fact, the team would have to be swept off of their metaphorical feet if they were to agree to a deal.
It’s really just a matter of what the Spurs would want in a package. 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. Leonard could always rekindle his relationship with the team, or return to the floor and increase his trade value.
Of course, the definition of a “grand-slam offer” is something that only the Spurs know, so it’s hard to speculate exactly what that is. It would, one would imagine, be a souped-up version of the deal that sent Paul George to Oklahoma City. There, the Indiana Pacers received a pair of young players (Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis) in return for the star, although it’s entirely possible that wouldn’t be enough and more players/picks would need to be included in a trade for Leonard.
There’s no indication of when the Spurs would start moving on a deal, but this report makes it sound like their asking price is set. Now it’s up to one of the other 29 NBA teams to meet it.
(Via The Ringer)
