The Kawhi Leonard trade rumors have simmered down a bit the past week or so since the top NBA free agents signed new deals. That said, there is still plenty of buzz surrounding a potential trade that could send the San Antonio Spurs star to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post noted on Monday that, “The Philadelphia 76ers have consistently remained atop the list of teams expected to land Leonard.”
He points to the “obvious connection between the franchises with Coach Brett Brown, Gregg Popovich’s longtime assistant, now running the Sixers” and notes Philly has the talent to offer up in trade for Leonard.
Of course, a huge key is whether the Sixers are willing to include last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Markelle Fultz. Unfortunately for San Antonio, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards, however.
Some believe Leonard will sit out the entire 2018-19 season if he remains a member of the Spurs organization heading into the campaign. That lingering threat, along with this very strange detail, leads us to believe that a deal will get done at some point.
There are other teams in the mix for Leonard as well, obviously. Bontemps notes the Toronto Raptors are potentially one of them, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how this story unfolds.