Philadelphia 76ers: 3 enthralling trades involving Robert Covington

1. San Antonio Spurs

Like Fultz, Kawhi Leonard‘s 2017-18 season was one of the more puzzling storylines in recent memory.

Coming off back-to-back seasons in which he placed in the top three in MVP voting, Leonard made just nine regular season appearances this past year due to a recurring quadriceps injury. The main drama as it relates to Leonard and the Spurs has been the manner in which Leonard has dealt with the injury, seemingly preferring to trust the opinions of those outside the Spurs’ organization. Understandably, this has led to an increasing amount of angst between Leonard and the franchise.

Presently, Leonard has one year remaining on his current deal, with a player option for $21.3 million in 2019-20. Recently, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN commented on the impending discussions to take place between Leonard and the Spurs:

"“[Spurs head coach] Gregg Popovich is going to sit down with Kawhi sometime between now and the draft [June 21] and they’re going to see if they can start to repair the trust between he and the organization….San Antonio’s got to decide whether they want to offer him that five-year, $219 million super max contract, no one else can pay him that much. And if San Antonio’s not willing to do that without watching him play another season….then Leonard may have a decision about whether he wants to play another year there….A lot of teams would like to get in trade talks with San Antonio, but those are not being entertained now by the Spurs.”"

With these words in mind, it’s highly likely that the Sixers, like many teams, will be formulating trade offers over the coming fortnight should the talks between Leonard and the Spurs break down.

In order to obtain a player of Leonard’s caliber, the Sixers would likely need to include their upcoming first round draft selection in addition to the trio of Covington, Fultz and Saric. Given the Spurs’ almost unparalleled reputation for player development, obtaining elite young talents in Fultz and Saric, in addition to Covington’s overall versatility, this deal could almost be a blessing in disguise as it pertains to their overall long-term future.

For the Sixers, obtaining an elite, in-his-prime superstar like Leonard would represent coming full-circle following a multi-year, arduous rebuild.

https://twitter.com/spurs/status/953829912032325633

In addition to Leonard, the Sixers would be receiving backup point guard Patty Mills in order to for the salaries to match. Like Leonard, Mills has an existing relationship with Sixers’ head coach Brett Brown from his days as an assistant with the Spurs. A nine-year NBA veteran, Mills is a career 39 percent shooter from 3-point range, and is widely recognized for being an exceptional locker room presence throughout his time in the league.

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While the Sixers are clearly foregoing plenty of talent in this transaction, the opportunity to land a star such as Leonard does not arrive very often. Furthermore, if such a move became an even stronger selling point for a potential pursuit of LeBron James, the Sixers should attack the opportunity with both hands.