The Spurs can't not trade him. At the latest in February otherwise he will be gone for nothing. Why give everything if there's no interest by other teams and they can wait press the Spurs and see if they can get him on a bargain? or even free next summer. The point is, that the best way to make the Lakers to sell off everything they own, and their future picks unprotected will be to press them right at this moment with a so called big offer by the Celtics.
I just don't see that as realistic given that the Spurs can just keep Kawhi into the season and the Lakers would be screwed. Time is all the leverage you need over the Lakers, you need other stuff to get leverage over the Celtics and IMO that's what all of this has been about.
Except the Spurs would be screwed as well if they keep him into the season if the problem is that no one is offering up a king's ransom for him. All the talk about the Spurs keeping Kawhi would be a HUGE risk for them. If Boston is fully healthy and playing amazing and all of their young guys take another step forward they would probably balk at even trading for Kawhi at all. Suddenly the Spurs get nothing when Kawhi walks.
Sure they can decide not to trade him, just like the Cavs can decide not to trade Lebron and let him walk. The Spurs can wait till the trade deadline and see who wants him then, they can just let him walk. If the Lakers thought that they could keep ANY of their garbage assets and still pull off the deal they were laughably mistaken. Combine everything they have and it's still not a great deal.
with that hair PG turned from Orlando Bloom to Trae Young "Quasimodo" lol Doesn't suit him at all. Shame.
If the Suns ever trade Tyson Chandler, he could be a buyout candidate depending on where he ends up. Would love for the Rockets to get him on a Vet minimum deal as a backup C. Still effective in spurts and knows his role.
Combine everything the Lakers have and it's still not a King's ransom, that's my point. Their max offer is weaker than lowball offers other teams can make.
Kuzma, Hart, Ingram, Suns pick (or Bucks pick) and two of their own picks is not a lowball. There's not a player in there I would take over Jaylen Brown, but if he's not on the table he's not on the table.
The more time passes, the more complications can appear. A new star can even be put in the market only this summer i.e Butler. Also the Spurs can't let him walk no matter what they are posturing through the media. So far the Lakers had all the leverage and now the Spurs with the help of the Celtics counterattacked trying to sell their fortune for 2 generations. The biggest prize would be an unprotected pick for 5 years in the future.
This is the 3rd-team discussions required in a Lebron to HOU opt-in-trade. CLE trying to help Morey encourage PHX to take Anderson.
San Antonio is just waiting on the eventual bidding war. Getting Kawhi for one entire season is better than getting him in February. Ainge knows that. Sixers knows that. Ainge is just being conservative with his assets by leaking to the media that Brown and Tatum are untouchable when I'm sure one of them would be sent to San Antonio in a heartbeat.
Wannabe-Rocket Jared Dudley says PHOENIX HAS NO CHANCE AT LEBRON... It's 'Cleveland Or L.A.' Devin Booker ... DeAndre Ayton ... Josh Jackson ... Elfrid Payton -- that sounds like a team LeBron could get down with, right?!?! "Zero percent chance," Suns vet Jared Dudley says ... "Bron's not coming to Phoenix." Well, OK then ... where is he going?? "Cleveland or L.A." We got Jared on Rodeo Dr. earlier this week ... and despite the Suns loading up on young talent the last year or two -- Jared says there's no way in hell LBJ comes to the desert. "Zero percent chance. He's not coming to Phoenix." Dudley says it's OK, though ... in fact, he guaranteed Phoenix will be back in the playoffs in no time. But ... ya gotta admit -- sure woulda been easier with the game's best player.
No way the Celtics will move Tatum for Kawhi. They can reasonably believe that Tatum is going to be a superstar, he's cheap and he's popular. You don't give that up for a guy coming off a major injury that isn't a lock to stay with you beyond one season.
All of the players you listed are bench players on a good team and if you help create another superteam in the West you are only burying your team deeper while making their picks worse.
