San Antonio, Say Goodbye to Kawhi

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson (Getty Images)

One of the biggest stories of the 2017–2018 NBA season has taken a new twist. According to reports, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard has stated that he wants to be traded from the organization.

Although the Lakers are his preference, according to Wojnarowski, they won't be the only (or even the first) team to come calling for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Leonard's season followed a strange timetable. He sat out until mid-December, as he recovered from a right quad injury. Upon his return, he was held out of participating in games on back-to-back nights, and his minutes were limited even when he did play. His final game of action came a month later, and he averaged 16.2 points per game for the year.

Although his season ended prematurely, the drama surrounding his status never did, and it has reportedly reached a breaking point.

Here are the possibilities for the frustrated All-Star going forward.

Stay in San Antonio

The relationship is obviously fractured at this point, and with the latest development, it appears to be beyond repair, much like it was for Kyrie Irving last offseason. Neither side, Kawhi (and his representation) nor the Spurs organization, have any trust left in the other side.

There are, however, two clear incentives for Leonard to stay. First, he can remain the franchise player for a team that has both a rich history and is still at least a fringy contender. Additionally, he has to stay in San Antonio to receive a super-max contract. However, that doesn't seem to be a deterrent at this point.

Join the Clippers

While it hasn't been explicitly stated publicly, Leonard said, first and foremost, that he wants to go to Los Angeles, although he may favor the Lakers. Not ruling out the Clippers does appear to be significant, though.

Looking at the team's roster, however, there doesn't appear to be enough in place for it to be a desirable destination. The highest-profile players are DeAndre Jordan (who has a player option this offseason), Lou Williams (who turns 32 in October), and Tobias Harris.

On the other hand, they do have two first-round draft picks, Nos. 12 and 13, that could be viewed as major trade capital. In all likelihood, a trade would require Harris (who is owed $14.8 million next season), one of those picks, and likely a role player. Some assurance that Jordan would stay in L.A. wouldn't hurt, either.

Go to Boston

The Celtics have been closely linked to Kawhi ever since this drama began. In many respects, it may be the most ideal destination for him. The Western Conference is undoubtedly deeper than the East, and the Celtics may be the top team in the East (in the present and the future).

Danny Ainge has multiple pieces that he could feature in a trade. The most ideal for his team may be Gordon Hayward, who missed all but the first five minutes of this past season with a torn ACL and is viewed as a lesser version of Leonard. He could also ship off Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, his youngest assets who play similar roles to Leonard.

The most interesting may be Kyrie Irving. It isn't a positional match, but he has stated that he doesn't want to sign an extension (yet), and it is the most likely to work as a roughly one-for-one deal (although it would likely require another trade down the road to offset their abundance of forwards and lack of point guards). Plus, he previously had interest in joining the Spurs.

Join the Lakers

This is what Leonard seems to want, even though the team hasn't been particularly successful. They do have young prospects and, more importantly, salary cap flexibility. They are currently estimated to have nearly $62 million in cap space.

Any trade with the Lakers would require one (or more) of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Brandon Ingram. The latter two appear to make more sense, because they are also forwards. On top of that, how tolerant would Gregg Popovich be of LaVar Ball?

Leonard would presumably welcome a contract extension from the Lakers, and they can afford to pay him and another star player without forcing them to take discounts. They could likely even remove some of their salary commitments and find a way to add a third star, especially if they accept below-market-value contracts.

Paul George has been tied to the Lakers since he forced his way out of Indiana last offseason, declaring that he wanted to be a Laker. LeBron James has also been linked to L.A. for years, and reportedly recently signed his kids up for school in the city.

Even if he didn't secure those players, Magic Johnson could lure just about anyone to the Lakers. If they want to be a contender, they have the wherewithal to make it happen, and it likely starts with Kawhi.

Go wherever San Antonio sends him

Kawhi can pitch whatever team he wants as a destination, but the fact of the matter is the Spurs own his rights and are entitled to get as much back for him as possible. No one could fault them for selling him to the highest bidder.

For argument's sake, the Sacramento Kings own the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft. The second-most talent player available is probably Luka Doncic, but they like what the have in place in their backcourt, with De'Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic. It wouldn't have been shocking if they looked to trade down for more picks, but the idea of adding an All-NBA talent should be more intriguing.

Additionally, the Spurs could choose to ship him to a cellar-dweller (Sacramento fits the description) out of spite. It may not be the most responsible thing to do from a management perspective, but if they want to try to have the last word and punish him, it's plausible. Then again, Kawhi can go wherever he wants next offseason.

Recap

Kyrie Irving has taught the league that "irreparable" relationships exist, and today's players have the leverage to force themselves wherever they please. At this stage, it seems clear that Kawhi Leonard will leave San Antonio. The only factors that are up in the air are how much being in Los Angeles matters to him and how much of a say he will have in where he ends up.

Regardless of where he lands, this is just one more domino in what's shaping up to be a wild offseason. Buckle up!