The San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors were listed as the two best suitors for Kawhi Leonard, although the Spurs are on the verge of missing the bus.
Heading into the NBA offseason, the San Antonio Spurs were not expected to make a blockbuster move. And then the floodgates opened.
The Spurs were suddenly linked to Rui Hachimura and John Collins, both of whom would be feasible free agent targets. However, the Los Angeles Clippers seem to be on the verge of a rebuild, and Jaylen Brown is no longer happy in Boston.
Could the Spurs swing a trade for either Brown or Kawhi Leonard? They have the means to, and Leonard seemed interested in the idea of returning to San Antonio.
However, the Spurs haven't made a serious inquiry about Brown, and they might miss the bus with Leonard, as well.
Raptors Positioned to Outbid Spurs for Leonard
Forget about all of the drama that would come with Kawhi Leonard. Should fans firgve him for his exit in 2018, the Spurs would be poised to have one of the best lineups in the NBA.
To get Leonard, San Antonio would have to part with Fox and some other key pieces, probably, but that still leaves them with Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, Victor Wembanyama, and Leonard, easily the best starting five in the NBA.
The only problem? The Spurs haven't picked up the phone, and the Raptors, the only other team he wants to play for, have.
"The LA Clippers and Toronto Raptors are seriously engaged in trade talks for All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard," wrote ESPN's Shams Charania. "LA and Toronto discussed a deal over the past couple of weeks, as Leonard's reps informed other teams he only wanted to sign an extension with the Raptors if the Clippers were not going to keep him, sources said."
Initially, both the Spurs and Raptors were listed as Kawhi's ideal landing spots. Now, Charania is reporting that if the Clippers don't extend him, he wants to head back to Canada.
It makes sense.
Outside of New York, Detroit, and Boston, the East is pretty open, and the Raptors are only a piece away from making a massive jump.
The West, meanwhile, is clogged up by the Spurs, Thunder, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Lakers, and Rockets. Even if San Antonio landed Leonard, there's still a lot of competition.
All signs point to the Spurs making a smaller move. For basketball reasons, adding Leonard makes perfect sense, but maybe neither party is ready to bury the hatchet.
