NBA Rumors: San Antonio Spurs Will Trade Kawhi Leonard To Eastern Conference

The Kawhi Leonard and Los Angeles Lakers pairing will have to wait a little while longer. According to Bleacher Report, The San Antonio Spurs will try to keep Leonard, and if they can’t, they will trade him to an Eastern Conference team. Let’s be honest here, who didn’t see that one coming a mile away?

Why would they trade him to the Lakers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder or any other team out West?

The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers have a rich rivalry and why would that make the Rockets that much dangerous by pairing Kawhi Leonard with Chris Paul and James Harden? But it asks the question of which team in the East? Unless LeBron James leaves the Cavaliers, the Spurs will not send him to Cleveland. The Boston Celtics would also be out the picture. They have the assets but the Celtics are one of the top three teams in the East. The same can be said for the Philadelphia 76ers. While young and have assets, they are coming off a 52-win season. The Spurs will look for a team like the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, or Miami Heat.

But that still depends on what they can get back for him. Where the San Antonio Spurs may have made their mistake at was waiting. When the rumors dropped that he wanted out, the Spurs had a chance right before the 2018 NBA Draft to make a move. By then, they could have received draft picks and players. Now, they will have to sort through the rosters on the East and see what veterans they can snag and also take someone else’s selections and hope they fit the Spurs’ system. That’s a tall order.

While the Lakers may be heartbroken over this recent news, the teams in the East can now get their trade packages together in hopes of landing a player who could change the course of their season.

Mark Wilson

Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.