It’s extremely possible that the San Antonio Spurs’ asking price for Kawhi Leonard is not currently aligning with reality. We previously reported that San Antonio was asking for a ridiculous bounty from the Los Angeles Lakers for Leonard.
Maybe, that’s the Spurs’ way of saying they don’t want to deal him to Southern California. But if San Antonio is demanding a similar return from other teams, it’s highly unlikely a deal will be worked out at any point soon.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, neither the Philadelphia 76ers nor the Boston Celtics are willing to include young stars in a potential Leonard trade.
“Philadelphia has not included Markelle Fultz in trade talks,” Lowe reported. “Boston hasn’t included Jaylen Brown.” With Jayson Tatum already being viewed as untouchable, the Celtics are unlikely to be able to land Leonard. Meanwhile, Fultz remains Philadelphia’s top trade chip. Given that it has not included him in trade talks, a deal on that front seems highly unlikely.
What does this all mean? San Antonio must either lower its asking price or call Leonard’s bluff. Neither scenario seems to be of the Spurs’ liking. But that’s the nature of the beast right now.