Do you want Kawhi?

[Mainstreet]

Genuine superstars who are young don't hit the trade market often and, if they do they have question marks surrounding them.

The Suns have been trying to acquire a superstar since the end of the Nash era with no luck.

I find it crazy that many just dismiss pursuing Kawhi because of his problems with the Spurs. I'm not as concerned about that as I am the fact that he may only be a one year rental.

IMO, you are on target. I've not been a fan of pursuing Kawhi but the Suns need to do their due diligence here if he shows interest in staying with the Suns after 1 year. Booker, Kawhi, and Ayton gives the Suns a huge bump.

 

[Folster]

And not a chance in Hades I would EVER under any circumstance trade for him WITHOUT a signed extension... unless it was maybe for something like Knight straight up (again, never happening). Otherwise, completely idiotic to trade anything for him.

With an extension his price skyrockets and we don't have a chance to get him for Jackson and picks.

 

[1tinsoldier]

Jackson
Bender
filler
Bucks pick

About as far I’d go.

also as far as i'd go, even with an extension.
there are serious concerns, as mentioned
-- and every team has them, so the spurs have to cave to someone.

it will still very likely be an eastern team he'll extend with
and we'll all sleep better,
having suspected him of more likely being the next Jalen Rose
than the next Charles Barkley

 

[Errntknght]

I'd consider signing him as a free agent next summer, largely because it would mean he wants to be here, but I wouldn't give up assets for him. I don't see how you can trust the guy.

Yup, except I want to pursue us, beg us to let him play with Ayton, Booker, Bridges! And agree to happily play PF whenever we want him to.

 

[AzStevenCal]

There is no kawhi-ing in basketball. He's a real risk for several reasons. I might take that gamble if he were a true point guard or a power forward but the lack of fit along with the other concerns takes him out of the picture AFAIC.

 

[GatorAZ]

There is no kawhi-ing in basketball. He's a real risk for several reasons. I might take that gamble if he were a true point guard or a power forward but the lack of fit along with the other concerns takes him out of the picture AFAIC.

Lack of fit? He’s the perfect wing next to Booker. Arguably the best defender in the league that can create his own shot and hit 3’s at a high efficiency. If we’re talking basketball only he’s ideal for this team. Plus he has championship pedigree.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Lack of fit? He’s the perfect wing next to Booker. Arguably the best defender in the league that can create his own shot and hit 3’s at a high efficiency. If we’re talking basketball only he’s ideal for this team. Plus he has championship pedigree.

I guess you're probably thinking that all the other wings would go in the trade? And you're probably right. Still, we have a real need at the 1 and the 4 and he isn't a 1 or a 4 and that was my point.

 

[Raze]

Jackson
Bender
filler
Bucks pick

About as far I’d go. You can bet San Antonio would demand our 2020 pick in case Kawhi left.

This entire hypothetical depends on if Kawhi wants to resign here... which he doesn't. Numerous reports state he wants to play for the Clippers or Lakers. That's it.

Even if he did, your proposal is way more than anyone else should be willing to offer. The Spurs have absolutely NO leverage. NONE.

1) No team will trade for him unless he signs a long term contract with the team

2) Since he will only sign with limited teams that severely limits the options

3) The teams (LAs, Philly, NY, PHX (?)) know this and will low ball out of the gates

4) He's coming off an injured season

5) He's willing to leave a winner to go to a loser (Clippers)

6) His credit is at an all time low in regards to trust

7) The 5 teams he'd be willing to go to would have a hard time offering a MAX contract to a guy with ALL these red flags

The Spurs utterly screwed this up. Far beyond what even McD did with Goran, because Goran isn't considered the 3rd best player in the NBA. The Spurs will be lucky to get anything of value in this deal.

If I'm the Lakers, I offer Ball (because he sucks and redundant with Rondo). If the Spurs say no, I literally tell them, "That's fine. We'll just sign him next off season. Good luck getting a better offer."
If I'm the Clippers, I offer a future heavily protected 1st. If the Spurs say no, I literally tell them, "That's fine. We'll just sign him next off season. Good luck getting a better offer."
IF, and ONLY IF, he'll sign with us, I'd offer TJ Warren. Good player, great contract, log jammed position, same position as Kawhi. Best offer their gonna get.

 

[Hoop Head]

Kawhi fits on the Suns mainly because we would need to trade some of our wings to acquire him. It would be like consolidating quantity for quality. It would make us older but not that much older. Would a team of Knight, Booker, Kawhi, Ariza, and Ayton compete with Golden State? Not this year but perhaps once they lose Cousins the following season and upgrade our PG position we might be able to give them a good challenge.

Our window would shrink some but not that much because Booker and Ayton would still be here when Kawhi is on the downside of his career. It's a matter of retooling with them to stay competitive.

I think we're better served by staying the course and looking to fill needs rather than looking to upgrade positions we are already deep at. It's a matter of how patient Sarver is though. If he thinks we must be in the playoff hunt this year, then a Kawhi trade makes more sense, if he realizes we're still another year from competing for a postseason spot and at that point we'll actually be better equipped to compete for years to come then we don't need to rush into a trade right now for Leonard.

Odds of beating Boston's offer are slim anyways. They've shown interest and San Antonio prefers to send him to the East. Let that happen and hope San Antonio isn't capable of turning whatever they receive into a title contender that we'll need to contend with for years to come.

 

[boisesuns]

I'd do the trade minus booker or ayton like others have said. We can hope everything keeps going forward or make a splash and get leaps and bounds better now.

Jackson could pan out but he's still far from Leonard skill wise. With how much losing we've done, why not take a 1 year rental (like Paul George) and see if you can build a solid winner sooner than later, and maybe he stays.

I get the concern of losing him a year later, but we also will be free agent players for others next summer. He probably makes us a playoff team this year.

He significantly accelerates the suns timeline. Or we could just wait even longer.....

 

[Superbone]

I want us to go back in time and see what happens if we draft Leonard instead of Markieff Morris.

 

[Superbone]

There is no kawhi-ing in basketball. He's a real risk for several reasons. I might take that gamble if he were a true point guard or a power forward but the lack of fit along with the other concerns takes him out of the picture AFAIC.

You get a like on that one just for the bad pun alone.

 

[Bufalay]

I want us to go back in time and see what happens if we draft Leonard instead of Markieff Morris.

He doesn’t learn to shoot and becomes Michael Kidd gilchrist

 

[Bert]

IMO, you are on target. I've not been a fan of pursuing Kawhi but the Suns need to do their due diligence here if he shows interest in staying with the Suns after 1 year. Booker, Kawhi, and Ayton gives the Suns a huge bump.

I agree I'm kindof on the fence about it, but if we made it happen I'd be excited.

I do worry about whatever has been going on with him tho. The stuff like his entourage barring the Spurs execs from talking to him and ghosting the team are worrisome, but then again I dont follow that situation close enough to know what is going on.

 

[Mainstreet]

I agree I'm kindof on the fence about it, but if we made it happen I'd be excited.

I do worry about whatever has been going on with him tho. The stuff like his entourage barring the Spurs execs from talking to him and ghosting the team are worrisome, but then again I dont follow that situation close enough to know what is going on.

I think a lot of us are unsure if it is a good move. This is where the Suns need to rely upon the judgement of the GM. If he gets it right he is a genius. If he gets it wrong, he is gone and the Suns take a huge step backward.

I do not not know what has been going on with Kawhi. Not many players want to leave the Spurs. I do think LaMarcus Aldridge was unhappy with the Spurs for awhile though.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I'd do the trade minus booker or ayton like others have said. We can hope everything keeps going forward or make a splash and get leaps and bounds better now.

Jackson could pan out but he's still far from Leonard skill wise. With how much losing we've done, why not take a 1 year rental (like Paul George) and see if you can build a solid winner sooner than later, and maybe he stays.

I get the concern of losing him a year later, but we also will be free agent players for others next summer. He probably makes us a playoff team this year.

He significantly accelerates the suns timeline. Or we could just wait even longer.....

He’s no Paul George who wanted to win or go to LA. He’s a guy who quit on his team. A team that is long considered a model franchise. No way I give up a JJ for that one-year rental without an extension. You’re throwing away an asset.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I agree I'm kindof on the fence about it, but if we made it happen I'd be excited.

I do worry about whatever has been going on with him tho. The stuff like his entourage barring the Spurs execs from talking to him and ghosting the team are worrisome, but then again I dont follow that situation close enough to know what is going on.

I've followed it very closely for almost a year now and I'm not sure I have any more real knowledge about it than a fan that's just wakened from a year long coma.

 

[GatorAZ]

He doesn’t learn to shoot and becomes Michael Kidd gilchrist

Or Josh Jackson.

 

[GatorAZ]

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[Phrazbit]

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I love that trade for Toronto, shows real balls. They're really good but not good enough, that is the kind of team who should roll the dice. Seems like a fun environment to play, Toronto is a massive city... if OKC can convince Paul George to stick around then it's a worth while gamble for a Toronto team that would become a legit finals contender.

 

[Hoop Head]

That is a good deal for Toronto. They would be favorites in the East anyways since they've consistently finished with 50+ wins for the last 3 years but they couldn't get past Lebron. I would like that trade more if Lebron was still in the East but now they're favorites to make it out of the East. I only say I'd like it more if Lebron was still there because it would give us better series in the East past the 1st round.

They haven't had a good SF there, typically starting CJ Miles or OG Anunoby but Leonard will fill that hole. Losing DeRozen leaves a hole at SG but he was one of the worst 3pt shooting SG's in the league, shooting 31% last year on just 3 attempts a game. They can start Delon Wright or VanVleet with Lowry with a frontcourt of Leonard, Ibaka, and Valanciunas. That's probably a better frontcourt than Boston.

If they can add a good 3pt SG cheaply then they'll look really good coming out of the East. Not good enough to beat the Warriors but probably good enough to steal a game or two. If Lowry didn't disappear in the postseason I'd like their odds a lot more.

 

[Phrazbit]

Woah... this has moved swiftly...

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ng-deal-involving-kawhi-leonard-demar-derozan

ESPN reporting it's a nearly done deal.

 

[Hoop Head]

Woah... this has moved swiftly...

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ng-deal-involving-kawhi-leonard-demar-derozan

ESPN reporting it's a nearly done deal.

I was coming back here to post the link to Woj saying the deal is almost complete, they're finalizing it now, apparently.

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[Hoop Head]

I'm surprised ESPN is still reporting that Kawhi plans on signing with the Lakers in free agency. I thought that was dead once Lebron signed there and he said he would look to the Clippers instead. I know LA was his preferred destination but I read a few sources saying that Lebron to the Lakers hurt the chances of them acquiring Kawhi outside of trading for him and even then, he may actually leave in free agency.

Toronto has some balls to try selling him on resigning there. I know they can offer more money but being in Canada with the exchange rate, the money really isn't as much of a difference if he's comparing his salary that they can give him compared to another team offering him the max. I know the exchange rate hurt the Raptors in the past because players didn't want to deal with that. It's somewhat similar to Florida having no state income tax. It's one of the things that is outside of the teams control about their location that influences players one way or the other.

 

[pokerface]

I want us to go back in time and see what happens if we draft Leonard instead of Markieff Morris.

Well for starters we dont draft Ayton...