[Zach Lowe] Rockets a dark horse for Kawhi Leonard?

Tyson Chandler or Brook Lopez.

 

I dont understand why no other star players wanna come to the H. I really dont. We were ONE REF AWAY, how in the hell dont we have dudes just lined up at Morey's house asking for sign n trades? I just dont get it.

 

Rockets fans desperate bro. I mean, the only rumors coming out from us now is having a chance to sign Nick Young. Lol.

 

Maybe they dont like Harden or CP3

 

Must be that media conspiracy, am I right @Os Trigonum

 

I’m almost starting to sound like the guy that always wants to keep all of our players(which I’m not).. but you can’t really think that a team that pushed GS to 7 games by switching everything can do that with..... brook lopez..right

 

If we get Leonard i will never wtite "Morey do something again"

 

Make it happen CP / Beard!

 

It’s horse**** just like the thread.

Just leverage to get Lakers to up the ante.

 

That's your biggest question with this? You're buying the possibility of SA trading Leonard to Houston but you're concerned about who plays center?

Trust me, if SA is willing to trade Kawhi here, then we'd immediately be constructing a trade for Willie Cauley Stein or signing Anthony Randolph to a vet minimum deal. Who plays center wouldn't be a concern.

 

Paul
Harden
Leonard
Tucker
Lopez ???

 

Doesn't take Much to get imaginations running wild here. There's not even a "multiple sauces" courtesy lie.

 

I've asked this very question. What's surprising is that other players are jumping on bandwagons instead of trying to burn them down. It's not like it was in the 80s and 90s

 

I think secretly, the NBA hates the Rockets. straight up. thats the only logical conclusion idk what else there is.

 

Capela is a bigger piece than Ingram...

 

Combining @justtxyank & @ElPigto...
(1) EGo + S&T Capela + 2021 1st + 2020 2nd + 2021 2nd to SAS for Kawahi + Davis Bertans
(2) Anderson + Ounahku + 2019 1st to ATL for Bazemore + Dedmon
(3) re-sign LMBM for MLE
(4) sign Napier + Nunnally + Bebe (Lucas Nogueira) for vet min
CP3 - Napier - MCW
Harden - Bazemore - Green
Kawahi - LMBM - Nunnally / Edward / Gary
Bertans - Tucker - Qi
Dedmon - Nogueira - Nene

Htine ship!

 

You could take everyone on the Lakers roster not named Lebron and they don't equal up to Capela.

 

you gave the answer yourself, nobody wants to join the target of the refs..the game is hard enough , the last thing you need is the refs making it even harder on you

 

In before Sam Presti acquires Kiwi Lenard for Carmelo, Alex Abrines & Terrance Ferguson.

Pop isn't trading him to Houston the same way he isn't trading him to LA if he don't have to!

Spoiler

In preliminary trade talks, the Spurs have shown less interest in packages that tilt too far toward rebuilding -- packages loaded with young players and picks.

SIXERS
• Philadelphia has not included Markelle Fultz in trade talks, sources say.

• What do the Spurs do if they arrive in camp with an embittered Leonard, and a best offer of Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and the Heat's unprotected 2021 pick? (By the way: I'm not convinced Philadelphia has even offered that.)

BUCKS
• The forgotten Buck: Milwaukee could build a similar deal around Jabari Parker, but base-year compensation complexities here are even more gruesome.

CELTICS
• Boston hasn't included Jaylen Brown, sources say.

• Boston is confident it can re-sign Irving despite chatter -- credible chatter -- that Irving and Jimmy Butler would like to play together, per league sources.

CLIPPERS
• A package of Tobias Harris, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerome Robinson, and a distant first-round pick isn't netting Leonard unless the Spurs do it out of spite. And the Clippers, like everyone else, are wary of Leonard bolting to the Lakers.

HEAT
• Miami's platter: The Heat can put together a juicier package than you'd expect for capped-out mediocrity: Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, Bam Adebayo, and their pick in either 2019 or 2023 (or, if the former is unprotected, both). Pat Riley always hunts stars. The Heat believe in their culture, and the lure of South Beach. Depending on San Antonio's taste for Winslow, this is not uninteresting. Adebayo is going to be really good. Still: This is probably not enough. Richardson is almost 25, a third- or fourth-option type on a great team.

KINGS
• Sacramento doing something wacky: Never discount the Kings doing something wacky. (I don't think the Kings are going to do something wacky.)

LAKERS
• Maybe the Spurs asked too much; cap guru Larry Coon reported Monday that their current price may be Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, two first-round picks, and the right to swap first-rounders in two other drafts.

• They could wait until Dec. 15, when teams can trade free agents signed this summer. At that point, the Lakers would be able to trade Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope -- though Caldwell-Pope would have the right to veto any trade.

Right now, almost any plausible Lakers offer would have to include all of their young players for salary-matching purposes -- including both Ingram and Ball. (Ball and Murray would make for a strange fit in San Antonio.) That was one cost of letting Julius Randle walk. They have only $5.6 million left in cap space, so they can't make a lopsided Leonard trade in which they send out only a little salary unless they use the stretch provision on Luol Deng.

NUGGETS
• Denver/Gary Harris: The Nuggets were ready to fling assets away for LeBron, so they have some appetite for a star-driven insta-team. But they presumably envisioned LeBron coming on a long-term contract. Harris alone doesn't move the needle enough, and the Nuggets don't have an obvious second player they'd send without some assurance from Leonard's camp.

PISTONS
• Detroit with Blake Griffin or Andre Drummond: Nope.

RAPTORS
• Toronto/DeMar DeRozan: The most logical all-in play on the board is Toronto offering DeRozan, one of Pascal Siakam, Delon Wright, Jakob Poeltl, and OG Anunoby, and a future first-round pick. Upgrade from DeRozan to Leonard, and the Drakes have a real shot to make the Finals. Maybe Leonard would love Toronto, and enjoy playing in May and June in front of that nutty crowd.

If Leonard walks, the damage isn't so severe. DeRozan after this season will either opt in to $27.7 million or enter free agency seeking a mega-contract as he turns 30. But DeRozan is really good, Leonard is a huge flight risk, and my hunch is the Spurs would demand too much future stuff for Toronto's taste (if the Raptors have any interest in the first place).

ROCKETS
• Morey strikes! The Rockets could sign-and-trade Clint Capela along with Eric Gordon and two first-round picks for Leonard, Derrick White and Brandon Paul -- provided the Spurs guarantee Paul's contract and Leonard waives his trade kicker.

The math barely works, per several cap experts, even though base-year compensation rules make it absurdly complex to trade Capela (and any other restricted free agent). This is spicy. Daryl Morey is always all-in for stars, and faraway Houston first-rounders could have value if Paul and Leonard suffer health issues.

Still: It feels too crazy. The Spurs probably think they can do better.

THUNDER
• Oklahoma City/Steven Adams: Go all-in again, Sam Presti! Eh. Presti has taken enough gambles, and Adams is more grunt guy than blue-chip trade headliner.

WOLVES
• Minnesota/Andrew Wiggins: This is interesting. Wiggins is a divisive player. He probably carries negative trade value on his max-level deal. But he's 23 and undeniably skilled, and the Spurs still have a jones for midrange jumpers. Toss in a couple of picks, and the Wolves could make a compelling offer.

It's hard to see Minnesota going into 2018-19 with both Leonard and Butler on expiring contracts. That is too much risk. It's logical to then flip the discussion to a Butler-for-Leonard deal -- expiring for expiring -- but that seems unworkable.

BLAZERS
• Portland/C.J. McCollum: I don't see it.

WARRIORS
• Golden State/Klay Thompson: Stop it.

WIZARDS
• Washington/Bradley Beal and pick(s): Ditto. If the price gets as low as Otto Porter, Kelly Oubre, and some draft assets, the conversation probably changes.

What do the Spurs do if they arrive in camp with an embittered Leonard, and a best offer of Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and the Heat's unprotected 2021 pick? (By the way: I'm not convinced Philadelphia has even offered that.) They could ride it out, hoping to patch things up with Leonard. They could ask teams right then and there for their absolute best offers, and push Leonard to at least grant suitors some face time. They could wait into the season, hope Leonard plays like gangbusters and that a title contender decides, "Screw it, let's get him!" Someone will juice up the bidding at some point. Leonard is too good.

(Not listed: BULLS, CAVS, GRIZZLIES, HAWKS, HORNETS, JAZZ, KNICKS, MAGIC, MAVS, NETS, PACERS, PELICANS, SUNS)