[ad_1]
Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have landed LeBron James, how aggressively should they pursue a Kawhi Leonard trade? Our NBA insiders discuss their options now and where the Spurs could turn for a possible Leonard deal
Should the Lakers wait until next summer?
Kevin Pelton: With DeMarcus Cousins agreeing to sign with the Golden State Warriors, a trade for Kawhi is the Lakers' best hope to add another star player this summer. Still, they must weigh this option against the possibility of signing Leonard directly next summer, or another max max agent, while retaining their young talents and draft picks.
Just as we did with the Boston Celtics recently, let's go through the Lakers.
Let's start here: What should the Lakers do to sign Kawhi next summer, Bobby?
Bobby Marks: The first approach is to remain conservative. After James agreed to get on board, we saw the Lakers leadership begin the process of accepting one year contracts with Kentavious Caldwell – Pope, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo. With the four players on expiries, L.A. should have $ 23 million in theaters in 2019, about $ 10 million less than the maximum contract of a player like Kawhi Leonard. Exchanging or stretching the $ 18.8 million due to Luol Deng next season would give the Lakers maximum maximum pay.
Cousins gives Golden State another All-Star. Zach Lowe examines what this means for Boogie and the Warriors.
L.A. landed LeBron James. What moves should the Lakers make to win the whole thing?
1 Hardcover
Kevin, as Paul George taught us, waiting for the free agency to sign a player is not always the best option, even if it means lose valuable property in a trade.
Should the Lakers take the same approach with Leonard? Remember, they could sign it outright next year.
Pelton: I would not do a lot of offers. Yes, George's scenario is a possibility, but that's also what the Lakers have been living with Dwight Howard: bargain for an impending free agent who walks away unexpectedly because of a bad experience. To maximize his next contract, Leonard must become a free agent whether he is in Los Angeles or not, so the risk exists too.
The other argument against the trade of the kind of mammoth package that San Antonio surely looks for Leonard is that it's not the Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Kemba Walker will also all unrestricted free agents, with the exception of the extra time signed this summer, and even if the Lakers' chances of signing any individual one of these players is low, the odds of 39 get one – if they have ceiling space and want one – look good to me.
So the Lakers are really giving up the players and the picks that they're trading over the potential of an alternative free agent to bargain for Leonard now, and this case would not be worth it to me unless the Spurs price is very low.
Do you agree?
Not bargaining for Leonard checks boxes in so many scenarios. For starters, even if the Lakers wanted to hit now, running money presents problems. L.A. will be $ 5.6 million below the ceiling after James, Caldwell-Pope and Rondo have been formally signed, and the team will need to clear $ 14.5 million to close a deal. Once Stephenson and McGee are signed, the Lakers will pbad the milestone and will have to get close to $ 16 million in outbound contracts at a Leonard business
Currently, the Lakers only have $ 36 million worth of contracts of players available for an exchange, including the Deng salary of $ 18.1 million. Any superstar trade during the off season would likely be all of their young players, including Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart. Making a move during the season could make sense with signed players at one year contracts, but remember that Caldwell-Pope has a veto over any trade because of the Bird restriction. a year.
I agree with you – the clbad of 2019. James' presence should be a good selling point to attract Leonard, Butler or maybe his former teammate Kyrie. Nor should we forget that James has been engaged with the Lakers for at least three years, and that they do not need to cash their holdings right now.
What about Boston or Philly?
The Lakers take the patient approach (as they should), where should the Spurs turn to find a new home for Leonard?
Pelton: Up to now, it seems that the Celtics' approach reflected what we expected in our dialogue – a reluctance to include their best young players for a possible rental . I guess that drives me to the Philadelphia 76ers, who also have an interesting mix of prospects, picks and veteran players that could be traded against Leonard.
According to the Sixers' motivation to reach an agreement, the Spurs may have lost their best leverage for the moment. In this case, maybe San Antonio is waiting closer to the trading deadline with the hope that the relationship with Leonard can be saved. 
Here's a thrilling summer in the NBA:
What would you think of as the Spurs?
Points: I think they are at the point of no return. I certainly understand the idea that Leonard is under contract and San Antonio can sit until the trading deadline to target the right set of players or picks in the repechage. However, San Antonio must have some type of resolution, and the probability is that Leonard has played his last match for the franchise. One thing I learned while working in New Jersey / Brooklyn is that an expiring contract starts to lose value when you enter the season.
I think Philadelphia should steal the script from the Oklahoma City book and prepare a package for Leonard now. As with OKC and Paul George last summer, the 76ers would have an entire year to recruit internally.
The East is wide open with LeBron now in Los Angeles. Would it make sense for Philadelphia to make a serious offer, even if it costs the former No. 1 Markelle Fultz?
Pelton: This is a difficult call. The Sixers probably have a better idea than us of the kind of results that Fultz's work on his offensive shot with coach Drew Hanlan gave up here. If Fultz can return to the kind of shooter that he was before suffering from a case of yips after a shoulder injury last summer, my answer would be no. His potential in this case is too valuable. After all, there's a reason Philadelphia has negotiated to get Fultz with choice number 1.
If the 76ers are still worried about Fultz's shot, it could change the answer. While Fultz can still be a capable player, even if he's a poor outside shooter, it becomes a lot harder to adapt to non-shooter Ben Simmons, making him less valuable in Philadelphia than other teams. . If the Sixers are skeptical, I would benefit for Leonard. And you?
Marks: This is a no for me. I'm not ready to give up Fultz, despite a rookie season that many would like to forget. And even for an All-NBA player at Leonard, it would still be difficult for me to trade Robert Covington and Dario Saric (without Fultz in the case) given Kawhi's injury concerns and his contract exhaling. So, the first round pick of Saric, Covington and Miami in 2021 could be the best bid that the Spurs will receive
(Editor's note: Philadelphia traded for forward Wilson Chandler , eating in most of his cap).
Dark horse options
Tags: Kevin, if Fultz is a deal breaker for Philly, it seems we are short of potential business partners. Is there a sub-radar team that makes sense?
Pelton: The Clippers might be able to hit the sweet spot of comfort, with the opportunity to re-sign Leonard combined with the desire to give up more to get it than the Celtics and the Sixers, whose futures are far more promising. I'm not sure what this package would look like now that the Clippers do not have the two lottery choices this year to include. These choices become less attractive to the Spurs (and more difficult to divest for the Clippers) as soon as they turn into real players. Anyone else comes to mind for you?
Marks: You are right with regard to the Clippers. Had the repechage been held this week, LA would certainly have been in a good position to close a deal.
I know it might sound like a dice roll, but if I'm the Raptors, I'd pick up the phone and tell Spurs GM RC Buford that he can pick from a bundle featuring DeMar DeRozan . Yes, I understand that you will give up three years of DeRozan for Leonard's expiring contract. But let 's face it – Toronto is third in the hierarchical order of East behind Boston and Philadelphia. With LeBron out West, I would take a chance on Leonard 's looks healthy. Add Danny Green's $ 10 million contract to Leonard and a contract for DeRozan's works
I just think we realized that Leonard's expiring contract cut his value in half.
Pelton: Does this mean that we think the Spurs will try to make it work with Kawhi and consider an exchange on the deadline?
Marks: It depends. Does the Spurs believe that a better deal will come up when the season starts and a team like Philly thinks it's only a piece away from reaching the NBA Finals?
If they do, it could make the wait more attractive. The first day of team meetings and training camp in San Antonio should be interesting.
Source link
