On Wednesday it looked like the Lakers had the inside track on acquiring Spurs star Kawhi Leonard. Not so fast.
The Philadelphia 76ers are now thinking about getting in on the action, and are putting together potential packages to offer to the Spurs in exchange for their disgruntled All-Star, according to Sports Illustrated.
Via Jake Fischer:
The Spurs are ramping up Kawhi Leonard trade talks and two Eastern Conference teams appear to be jockeying for position. The Philadelphia 76ers have recognized the Spurs' and L.A. Lakers' urgency to complete a deal, sources say. And while the Sixers have not made a formal offer to San Antonio at this time, Philadelphia has held serious internal discussions about acquiring Leonard over the last 48 hours. The front office has presented team ownership with several trade scenarios for discussion, sources say.
... Philadelphia's internal discussions have focused on potential trade packages offering various young players and future draft selections. One team source says preliminary discussions with San Antonio revealed the Spurs have strong interest in a package involving burgeoning forwards Dario Saric and Robert Covington as well as a future first-round pick. A potential, more serious offer that Philadelphia is weighing internally includes Saric and Covington and the 2021 Miami Heat unprotected first-round pick the Sixers obtained in their draft-night deal with the Phoenix Suns.
Round and around we go. Leonard would be a great fit for the Sixers, who appear to be on the cusp of entering the upper echelon of NBA teams with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid leading the way. Adding a two-way player of Leonard's caliber would vault them into championship discussions.
But that's all a long way off. First the Sixers have to make an actual offer to the Spurs, and San Antonio has to decide if it's better than what it could get from the Lakers, Celtics or any other team that shows interest. Or, they could just keep Leonard and wait until next season's trade deadline.
