Rumor Report: Kawhi Leonard Wants Out Of San Antonio

[dviss1]

Well, they'd need to send talent back to San Antonio--wing talent could be part of that return. It's more that players like Leonard aren't available very often. If you can get him, I think you do that and try to balance the roster either in that trade itself or in a subsequent one.

SA would demand Tatum and I guarantee you they don't budge on him. SA IMO wouldn't want Heyward and Jalen Brown ain't enough.

 

[dviss1]

Kawhi to POR

Politician Dance Party!!!

 

[Minstrel]

SA would demand Tatum and I guarantee you they don't budge on him.

If you think San Antonio wouldn't budge unless they get a Tatum-like asset, that simply means that Portland has no shot, as they have no asset of that caliber.

I mean, ultimately, I don't think the Spurs would trade Leonard but, if they do, I think a team like Boston or Philadelphia finds their way to a package, and Portland really can't create one that would make sense.

 

[andalusian]

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/1/23/16924576/kawhi-leonard-trades-shootaround

The best part of this is the Dame / PA exchange:

“How about this,” Lillard says. “Explain to me the last, like, five years of this franchise. I’M 27. I DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT. I NEED HELP OUT HERE. EVAN TURNER AIN’T IT. ALSO I’M MAD AT C.J. FOR REASONS.”

Allen and Dame lock eyes. A fraught silence fills the room.

“Say no more,” Allen says.

He picks up the phone.

 

[BigGameDamian]

I would be willing to give him a chance at POR

The reasonwhy is twofold. One is they've been unable to attract elite level, All-NBA caliber free agents. You think he would like playing with the Blazers?

 

[Chris Craig]

 

[BigGameDamian]

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/1/23/16924576/kawhi-leonard-trades-shootaround

The best part of this is the Dame / PA exchange:

“How about this,” Lillard says. “Explain to me the last, like, five years of this franchise. I’M 27. I DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT. I NEED HELP OUT HERE. EVAN TURNER AIN’T IT. ALSO I’M MAD AT C.J. FOR REASONS.”

Allen and Dame lock eyes. A fraught silence fills the room.

“Say no more,” Allen says.

He picks up the phone.

Collins is untouchable though. We like keeping the team young.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Collins is untouchable though. We like keeping the team young.

Pretty sure you're the only...entity...saying this. Time for a firmware upgrade.

 

[e_blazer]

Pretty sure you're the only...entity...saying this. Time for a firmware upgrade.

He does seem to be locked into an endless loop with this response. Might be time to dump the old Windows 7 machine and switch to Mac.

 

[Sarni]

Teams will not be offering massive haul to get him when they know he expires after next season. He is obviously better than them but look at what teams got for Irving, Butler and Cousins - it wasn't really THAT much at first glance. The offer for Kyrie was probably most impressive but it was still based around a pick of a bad team in a league full of tanking teams so likely not even top 5, an injured player who has great offense but zero defense and an average wing. Spurs will be looking to get more for Kawhi but it won't be that much more that they can get.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I want him as bad as anyone but how are we gonna change the bolded statement?

Who cares? Kawhi Leonard is EXACTLY the kind of elite talent the Blazers cannot attract in free agency. Since we can't get someone like him through free agency, the only way to get him is through trade.

Adding him to Dame would give us two elite players, that also happen to be younger than all of GSW's Big 4, OKC's Big 3, HOU's Big 2 and CLE's Big 1.

With the two of them, a 3rd elite player, looking for a place to win a ring, wouldn't be far behind. And once you have that, you can hold the door open for all the veteran role players and ring chasers you want.

Seriously, you think Carmelo Anthony would have agreed to wave his no trade clause go to OKC if they didn't already have Russell Westbrook and Paul George? Do you think he would have wanted to go to HOU if they didn't already have James Harden and Chris Paul? Yeah, Melo is past his prime, but he was highly sought after and got to choose his destination.

Dame and Kawhi would give us the first two pieces necessary to lure the third.

BNM

 

[HolyBackboard]

Boston can't trade Gordon Hayward. Think of the repercussions Danny Ainge would receive from agents around the league. Not only did they trade IT after he gave them everything and then some but adding a Hayward trade, who was their prize free agent, to the mix would really destroy his reputation internally. No clients would send their clients Boston's way if he moved Hayward less than a year into his contract.

 

[dviss1]

Dame did.

 

[dviss1]

Who cares? Kawhi Leonard is EXACTLY the kind of elite talent the Blazers cannot attract in free agency. Since we can't get someone like him through free agency, the only way to get him is through trade.

Adding him to Dame would give us two elite players, that also happen to be younger than all of GSW's Big 4, OKC's Big 3, HOU's Big 2 and CLE's Big 1.

With the two of them, a 3rd elite player, looking for a place to win a ring, wouldn't be far behind. And once you have that, you can hold the door open for all the veteran role players and ring chasers you want.

Seriously, you think Carmelo Anthony would have agreed to wave his no trade clause go to OKC if they didn't already have Russell Westbrook and Paul George? Do you think he would have wanted to go to HOU if they didn't already have James Harden and Chris Paul? Yeah, Melo is past his prime, but he was highly sought after and got to choose his destination.

Dame and Kawhi would give us the first two pieces necessary to lure the third.

BNM

Like my ex-wife would say when she's wrong:

FINE!

 

[illmatic99]

Who cares? Kawhi Leonard is EXACTLY the kind of elite talent the Blazers cannot attract in free agency. Since we can't get someone like him through free agency, the only way to get him is through trade.

Adding him to Dame would give us two elite players, that also happen to be younger than all of GSW's Big 4, OKC's Big 3, HOU's Big 2 and CLE's Big 1.

With the two of them, a 3rd elite player, looking for a place to win a ring, wouldn't be far behind. And once you have that, you can hold the door open for all the veteran role players and ring chasers you want.

Seriously, you think Carmelo Anthony would have agreed to wave his no trade clause go to OKC if they didn't already have Russell Westbrook and Paul George? Do you think he would have wanted to go to HOU if they didn't already have James Harden and Chris Paul? Yeah, Melo is past his prime, but he was highly sought after and got to choose his destination.

Dame and Kawhi would give us the first two pieces necessary to lure the third.

BNM

This.

But one tale of caution. I bet NO was saying the exact same thing when they paired Boogie with AD. I don't have much faith in Neil's ability to find the right kinda ancillary pieces. Fearful of the thought of someone like Solomon Hill and E'Twaun Moore as my fourth and fifth best players.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Like my ex-wife would say when she's wrong:

FINE!

The problem is: can we get him. Is a package built around C.J. enough. Maybe if you include Nurk and Collins.

I hate to be the one to bring it up, but would you (or anyone else) be willing to consider a Dame for Kawhi swap if it let us keep Nurk and C.J.?

A starting 5 of Shabazz, C.J., Kawhi, Collins, Nurk looks pretty promising going forward. Nurk and Collins should enter their primes before Kawhi, C.J. and Shabazz exit theirs.

BNM

 

[Chris Craig]

The problem is: can we get him. Is a package built around C.J. enough. Maybe if you include Nurk and Collins.

I hate to be the one to bring it up, but would you (or anyone else) be willing to consider a Dame for Kawhi swap if it let us keep Nurk and C.J.?

A starting 5 of Shabazz, C.J., Kawhi, Collins, Nurk looks pretty promising going forward. Nurk and Collins should enter their primes before Kawhi, C.J. and Shabazz exit theirs.

BNM

No Dame Stays

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

The problem is: can we get him. Is a package built around C.J. enough. Maybe if you include Nurk and Collins.

I hate to be the one to bring it up, but would you (or anyone else) be willing to consider a Dame for Kawhi swap if it let us keep Nurk and C.J.?

A starting 5 of Shabazz, C.J., Kawhi, Collins, Nurk looks pretty promising going forward. Nurk and Collins should enter their primes before Kawhi, C.J. and Shabazz exit theirs.

BNM

Hell no, Dame has done way too much for this franchise. He IS the franchise.

 

[Minstrel]

I hate to be the one to bring it up, but would you (or anyone else) be willing to consider a Dame for Kawhi swap if it let us keep Nurk and C.J.?

Absolutely, if you're extremely confident that Leonard will re-sign in Portland in summer 2019. Upgrading from Lillard (a star) to Leonard (a true superstar) is the type of difference that could make Portland a real contender to make the conference finals.

Things would have to get very bad between San Antonio and Leonard for the Spurs to consider such a swap, though.

 

[dviss1]

The problem is: can we get him. Is a package built around C.J. enough. Maybe if you include Nurk and Collins.

I hate to be the one to bring it up, but would you (or anyone else) be willing to consider a Dame for Kawhi swap if it let us keep Nurk and C.J.?

A starting 5 of Shabazz, C.J., Kawhi, Collins, Nurk looks pretty promising going forward. Nurk and Collins should enter their primes before Kawhi, C.J. and Shabazz exit theirs.

BNM

My buddy was talking about that (trading Dame and Keeping Shabazz). IMO it makes no sense to do that and bring in Kawhi. Kawhi IMO would rather play WITH Dame.

I'm not on board in any way with regard to trading Dame.

 

[andalusian]

This is never going to happen, but I long for the days of a Leonard, Leonard front-line. Make it so.

 

[dviss1]

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/1/23/16924576/kawhi-leonard-trades-shootaround

The best part of this is the Dame / PA exchange:

“How about this,” Lillard says. “Explain to me the last, like, five years of this franchise. I’M 27. I DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT. I NEED HELP OUT HERE. EVAN TURNER AIN’T IT. ALSO I’M MAD AT C.J. FOR REASONS.”

Allen and Dame lock eyes. A fraught silence fills the room.

“Say no more,” Allen says.

He picks up the phone.

These aren't quotes. Dame nor Allen didn't say these words. This is the ringer "paraphrasing".

 

[andalusian]

These aren't quotes. Dame nor Allen didn't say these words. This is the ringer "paraphrasing".

Of course not. It's great fictional writing at it's best. I marked in bold the "For Reasons" for a reason. It's Shakespearean in it's magnitude.

 

[Minstrel]

These aren't quotes. Dame nor Allen didn't say these words. This is the ringer "paraphrasing".

I don't think it's even paraphrasing. I think it's just meant to be a funny made-up exchange, to introduce the possibility of a Portland/San Antonio trade. Pretty much all of that article seemed tongue-in-cheek.

 

[dviss1]

I don't think it's even paraphrasing. I think it's just meant to be a funny made-up exchange, to introduce the possibility of a Portland/San Antonio trade. Pretty much all of that article seemed tongue-in-cheek.

Hence my air quotes.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

I just looked up what Leonard's stats of this season are, dude has only played 9 games? This is a really weird situation, either the Spurs are über paranoid or he has something wrong with him of the Brandon Roy variety.

 

[TBpup]

(First)
1. Dame meets with Paul
(then)
2. Kawhi wants out of SA
(next)
3. Portland trades for Kawhi

It all makes perfect sense.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Hell no, Dame has done way too much for this franchise. He IS the franchise.

Yeah, it would be a pretty shitty thing to do to a guy who has been so loyal to this organization and this city. Trading him anywhere would be bad enough, but forcing him to "reunite" with Aldridge would be cruel.

But ya gotta admit, it sure would make for some interesting POR vs. SAS playoff series.

BNM

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

(First)
1. Dame meets with Paul
(then)
2. Kawhi wants out of SA
(next)
3. Portland trades for Kawhi

It all makes perfect sense.

4. Blazer fans wake up from wet dream in disgust of what they did to their favorite pair of underwear.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I hate to be the one to bring it up, but would you (or anyone else) be willing to consider a Dame for Kawhi swap if it let us keep Nurk and C.J.?

Can you imagine how pissed (pouty) Aldridge would be if the Spurs traded for the very spotlight-thief he basically left Portland to get away from?