With two days remaining until the 2018 NBA Draft, rumors are continuing to swirl regarding a potential Kawhi Leonard trade from the San Antonio Spurs. By now, it’s well known that Leonard wants out of San Antonio.
If that’s the case, these Spurs will certainly look into adding a pick or two in this year’s draft as part of the package for Leonard.
Among the teams bandied about as a potential trade partner, we now have an idea what the Boston Celtics might offer in return.
“That ceiling in terms of trade offers is probably Jaylen Brown and some combination of draft picks they’re (the Celtics) are willing to give up,” Chris Mannix of Yahoo! Sports told Toucher & Rich of WBZ in Boston Tuesday (h/t NBC Sports Boston).
Mannix goes on to note that the Spurs will continue to play other teams against one another in an attempt to get the best possible deal. Whether Brown and picks is enough for Boston to land Leonard remains to be seen.
What we do know is that the Celtics have a ton of future draft capital to entice San Antonio in a potential deal. This includes a top-nine protected first-round pick from the Los Angeles Clippers (via Memphis) in the 2019 NBA Draft as well as a first-round pick that year from the Sacramento Kings, protected for No. 1 overall.
Though, it’s highly likely that Boston would also have to include a top-level rotational player in any hypothetical deal with San Antonio. Could could include Marcus Smart and/or Terry Rozier.
It’s certainly a major storyline to follow heading into Thursday’s draft in Brooklyn.