The Spurs fully expected Kawhi Leonard to return next season and potentially sign a super-max contract that would ensure he would lead the proud franchise into the next decade.
Leonard missed all but nine games this past season with a quadriceps injury, which resulted in bad feelings between the forward and the organization. Leonard wanted to rehabilitate on his own time with his own people and in his own way. The Spurs wanted Leonard to use their medical staff, take their medical advice, and return on their clock.
Apparently the wedge created by that injury and Leonard deciding to miss the final three months of the regular season and the playoffs still exists. It has been widely reported that Leonard has asked for a trade, informing team officials that he would prefer to be dealt to the Lakers.
Similar to last year when the Cavaliers received a trade request from Kyrie Irving, the Spurs don’t have to trade Leonard. But the risk becomes losing him for nothing if he refuses to sign a contract extension and then becomes a free agent next summer.
So if Leonard has made it clear he has no intention on re-signing with San Antonio, it’s in the Spurs’ best interests to make a deal.
There are more teams interested in Leonard than not, but the question for the Spurs is whether they want to enhance another Western Conference team with a perennial All-Star in his prime, do they ship Leonard to the Eastern Conference or do they just attempt to procure the best deal?
There are many options for the Spurs, including the Celtics, who may be able to offer the most attractive package.
The most difficult aspect of Leonard’s trade request is the Spurs have worked to transition smoothly from the Tim Duncan/Tony Parker/Manu Ginobili era without having to spend time in the lottery. They drafted promising point guard Dejounte Murray, signed and then re-signed LaMarcus Aldridge, and added Rudy Gay.
The Celtics would likely have to give up Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum in any deal for Leonard, and the Kings’ first-round pick in next year’s draft. A neater deal for the Celtics would be to offer Gordon Hayward, who has three years left on his deal, along with a pick and a prospect. But Hayward’s market value has dropped understandably because of his leg injury.
Regardless of what they’d have to give up, the Celtics do have interest. Leonard is the type of player who could catapult them to the next level if Danny Ainge doesn’t sacrifice too much. Because Leonard is entering the final year of his contract, trading him will be more difficult for the Spurs.
This time last year, Paul George requested a trade from the Pacers entering the final year of his contract. The Thunder gave up Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis for one guaranteed year of George. The trade ended up favoring the Pacers because Oladipo became an All-Star and Sabonis a key contributor.
Meanwhile, George played out the season in Oklahoma City, the Thunder were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, and George is about to be an unrestricted free agent. So dealing for Leonard would be a risk for both sides.
Ainge does not want to give up a significant part of the future core for one year of Leonard. But it’s uncertain whether Leonard would commit to a long-term deal with the Celtics without having played a game in Boston.
The Celtics are in a similar situation with Irving, who is entering the final year of his contract (he has an opt-out after next season) and has offered no assurances that he will re-sign. Would the Celtics risk having two All-Stars on their roster who could bolt after next season?
The Celtics already have the core to compete for championships in the next several seasons, as well as a likely lottery pick that would join the team in 2019-20. Of course it’s in the Celtics’ best interests to look into a Leonard deal, but it may not be in their best interests to make a deal.
The Lakers have been seeking a star since Kobe Bryant retired, and there is more than mutual interest between Leonard and the Lakers. He is from Riverside, which is about 65 miles from the Staples Center, and he would be the centerpiece of their renaissance.
Of course, that would mean Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would have to agree to a deal with a potential rival and then face Leonard four times a season.
The Lakers have assets to trade for Leonard, but they’re all young, so the salaries would not match. In order to facilitate a trade with Leonard’s $20 million salary, the Lakers would likely have to include the contract of Luol Deng ($18 million next season), along with at least three young players and perhaps a draft pick.
What may hurt the Lakers is they cleared so much salary-cap space to sign free agents, they now have few veterans to trade. Brook Lopez, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Channing Frye, and Isaiah Thomas are free agents, but the Spurs likely wouldn’t want any of them in a sign-and-trade.
Deng has two years remaining on his contract at a total of $36.8 million, but he is nothing more than a 15-minutes-per-game player at this point in his career.
So for the Spurs to want to take Deng, the Lakers would have to include a lot of goodies, including Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and likely Kyle Kuzma, while the Spurs would add Gay or Danny Green in the deal.
Several other clubs would be interested. The 76ers, with new management, could offer Markelle Fultz and Robert Covington along with draft picks. The Kings could dangle the No. 2 overall pick along with young players such as Buddy Hield, Harry Giles, and Justin Jackson.
Another tricky aspect of any trade is Thursday’s draft. The Spurs would love to consummate a deal before then, so they would be able to make the selections of any picks they acquire. Of course a deal could be done after the draft, but that means the Spurs would have to like the other team’s recent pick if it is included in the trade.
San Antonio also has the 18th overall pick it could potentially include. The Spurs must decide quickly whether fences can be mended with Leonard, who has not had an expected meeting with Popovich that could create a better understanding.
Leonard is one of the league’s best two-way players who is entering his prime years, and he already has won an NBA Finals MVP award. The question that teams will have to answer is whether Leonard is 100 percent healthy and open to re-signing with the club that trades for him, if that team isn’t located in Los Angeles. The Celtics have plenty of company in their interest in Leonard, but it’s a difficult situation to navigate.
It may be worth the risk because of Leonard’s talent. But just ask the Thunder, who are now waiting for George to make a free agent decision (with the Lakers as one of his suitors) whether it was worth it to sacrifice to young, talented veterans for one season of an All-Star.
agent of change
Durant done with the one-and-done
Kevin Durant was a one-and-done draft pick 11 years ago out of the University of Texas, selected second overall by the SuperSonics.
The one-and-done rule still exists, although the league and NBA Players Association have an issue with the mandate that players be one year removed from high school before entering the draft. But the NBPA and league’s owners have not been able to devise another plan.
Many NBA players don’t like the one-and-done rule, including Durant.
“I think the one-and-done rule should be done,’’ he said. “I think you should give players more avenues to pursue their career as basketball players. If they want to leave school early and pursue a basketball career, why not? I think it’s on them to make that decision. If it doesn’t pan out, then that’s on them. But if it does, I think it’s great that you give them a couple outlets to do so.’’
Some players have chosen an unconventional route. Syracuse recruit Darius Bazley decided to pass on the scholarship offer from Jim Boeheim and will play next season in the G-League, after which he will enter the 2019 NBA Draft. Mitchell Robinson passed on college this past season, spurning Western Kentucky in order to train for the draft. The 7-footer could be a first-round pick.
If you recall, Durant was drafted behind another one-and-done player, Greg Oden. The Ohio State big man was considered a franchise-caliber center, one of the best defensive centers of his generation. The Trail Blazers were decided on Oden at No. 1 — until they had Durant in for a workout.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Durant wowed Portland management and they were tempted to take Durant and pass on Oden. But Oden’s potential was just too good to pass up.
Unfortunately for the Blazers, Oden played only 82 games over two seasons with Portland because of injuries. And, of course, Durant became an MVP, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a two-time champion, and nine-time All-Star.
“My workout with Portland, I thought it could have been better,’’ Durant said. “When they were saying it was a great workout, I knew it wasn’t as great as they were saying. But I figured at that point they knew who they were going to draft. They just wanted to do their due diligence, I guess.’’
ETC.
Lue is deserving of more credit
Tyronn Lue has not received the type of credit due to a coach who has won an NBA championship. He was heavily criticized this season for the Cavaliers’ struggles. League pundits have said LeBron James is the real coach of the team. But Lue did help carry a flawed Cavaliers team to the Finals for a fourth consecutive year (three with him as head coach), and he weathered health issues that caused him to miss nearly a month during the regular season.
Lue seriously considered stepping down after the playoffs but said he will return, regardless of James’s status. James has the right to opt out of his contract and become a free agent.
“I had some tough problems going on throughout the course of the season, and I probably could have folded myself, but I wasn’t going to do that,’’ he said after Cleveland was swept by the Warriors. “I knew that even if I wasn’t feeling 100 percent, I had to get back for the playoffs. That’s my time. That’s my moment. I didn’t want to put our coaches in that situation. I didn’t want to put our players in that situation, and I had to fight through it. That’s what champions do. I gave everything I had.
“Then in my absence, Larry Drew and [Mike] Longabardi, and Phil Handy, [James] Posey, [Damon Jones], Vitaly [Potapenko], Jim Boylan, they did a hell of a job just holding it down until I got back. Even though I came back when I wasn’t quite ready, I had to. That’s who I am. I’m never going to give up and never going to give in. I stayed the course and was able to have a pretty special year, outside of losing in the Finals. But I thought we did a good job of staying the course and getting to this point. I’m happy for the guys.’’
It was pretty apparent that the Game 1 loss was essentially the end of the Finals for the Cavaliers. They played well enough to get a critical road victory, but J.R. Smith’s gaffe along with George Hill’s missed free throw ruined a chance to win the game in regulation.
The Cavaliers fought, but not hard enough, in the next three games. Lue took responsibility for the breakdowns.
Lue, 41, has won a title and made three Finals. He deserves a little more respect for his coaching ability.
“I can always get better. But I know that I’m a tough guy. I pride myself on that. I’m hard on myself a lot of times, but I’ve got to realize I’ve only been coaching for 2½ years. It feels like 10 or 15,’’ he said. “I can get better, and I’m going to get better. I just learned that you’ve got to stay the course in this profession. Anything can happen. We had plenty of chances to mail it in, to make excuses, and we didn’t do that. I think it started with me, it started with LeBron with just saying no excuses. And here we are today.
“As far as the Warriors go, there were two games that were very winnable. Being up 1 in Game 3 with three minutes left, having a chance to win it with a free throw in regulation in Game 1. So despite how good their team is, I thought our guys did a good job of competing. We still have to improve and get better, which we will. But we’re not that far off.’’
The Cavaliers will have a lot of work to do if James leaves via free agency. They’ll have to revamp an older roster and try to remain relevant. Lue will be in charge of that plan.
Layups
The Celtics’ summer league roster is shaping up with assistant Jay Larranaga expected to coach the team’s entry in Las Vegas. Former first-round pick Guerschon Yabusele and second-round picks Kadeem Allen and Jabari Bird are expected to play. Bird’s presence is not a cinch because he signed a one-year, two-way contract, meaning the Celtics have to make him a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent. Other interested clubs could sign Bird to an offer sheet that the Celtics would have the right to match. Bird played 13 games for the Celtics and made a strong impression in the G-League before being sidelined by a back injury. Allen’s two-way contract is for two years . . . While it’s well known that Kyrie Irving has a player option for 2019-20, so does Al Horford, who would earn $30 million in the final season of his contract. He could sign a four-year extension beginning at $34.7 million in the 2020-21 season and then increasing by 120 percent each season. Horford, who turned 32 June 3, would most certainly sign an extension that would take him to age 36. But it’s highly unlikely the Celtics would offer such a package. Horford is likely to play out of the final two years of his contract and then renegotiate an extension at a reduced price if he and the team decide they want to continue their marriage. It’s not that the Celtics don’t like Horford, but such a contract would cripple their salary cap for the next five years and the club will still have to sign Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to extensions. Brown is due a potential five-year extension next summer, while Tatum could be extended in the summer of 2020. Both would likely garner maximum extensions. So the Celtics will have to be salary cap savvy over the next few years.
Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GwashburnGlobe. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
