Kawhi Leonard trade rumors: 7 potential destinations for Spurs star

3. Philadelphia 76ers

There’s only one team in the Eastern Conference that can put together a better trade package and have higher hopes of re-signing Kawhi Leonard than the Philadelphia 76ers, and that’s the all-powerful Boston Celtics.

However, if the Celtics push for LeBron James instead, or aren’t willing to give up the requisite assets to pry Kawhi from Texas, the Sixers could swoop in with some attractive offers of their own. According to The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor, you can expect Philly to enter the fray:

Though his shooting fell off a cliff in the playoffs, and though his 3-point shooting has largely been average outside of a couple of red-hot months to start the season, Robert Covington is a 3-and-D wing who would be put to great use under Popovich. The Spurs’ defense is already elite, so adding an All-Defensive First Team selection like RoCo would help replace Kawhi’s defense fairly well.

From there, it’s a matter of what else the Sixers are willing to part with. It’d almost certainly include the team’s first round pick at No. 10, plus one of either Dario Saric or Markelle Fultz. In both scenarios, sharpshooter Bryn Forbes would be included to help balance things out.

In Saric, the Spurs would be getting the kind of versatile, efficient, defensively sound European prospect they love to employ.

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons garner all the attention, but Saric is one of the league’s most underrated players and was a key part of Philly’s success last year, averaging 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game on .453/.393/.860 shooting splits in his second season.

At No. 10, the Spurs could still try to get their hands on one of the Bridges, giving them three multi-positional players and quality defenders to replace Kawhi with. It’s hard to top that kind of package…unless San Antonio preferred Fultz’s upside and his potential fit alongside Dejounte Murray in the backcourt.

If that were the case, the Spurs would be getting a 20-year-old who, just a year ago, was being heralded as a sure thing and the consensus No. 1 prospect in an absolutely loaded draft class. Fultz’s injury woes and shooting struggles are troublesome, but he proved by the end of the regular season that no one should be giving up on him just yet.

Though he only averaged 7.1 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 14 appearances as a rookie, his minutes were limited and he spent most of the season overcoming a bizarre shoulder impediment. That didn’t stop him from dropping a triple-double in his final game of the regular season.

Whether the Spurs prefer Saric or Fultz, they’d be getting a quality young player to rebuild around, a 3-and-D wing and the potential to draft another at No. 10 (or they could package it with No. 18 to try and move up a few spots). That’s a solid package, though it’s worth noting Boston could still outdo it. Philadelphia would also have to be concerned about forfeiting assets if Leonard’s heart still lies in L.A.