With the first week of NBA free agency in the books, the trade winds are still circulating around disgruntled San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard. No one knows exactly when or where Leonard will go, but its a high possibly that he will not be in San Antonio when the season starts.
Last week, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (h/t Amico Hoops) suggested on the Colin Cowherd show that Leonard might be open to playing with the Los Angeles Clippers, instead of the Lakers with LeBron James. For a long time, we heard about Leonard wanting to play with the Lakers, so to hear the Clippers being mentioned adds a new team into the fray. In terms of the Eastern Conference, Leonard may have interest in joining the Philadelphia 76ers.
Last Friday, ESPN NBA reporter Chris Haynes was on The Jump and mentioned that the Sixers have a “really good chance” of obtaining Leonard and they are only Eastern Conference team he will consider signing long-term with (h/t Zach Rosenblatt of N.J.com).
Haynes added that Leonard would not do the same for the Boston Celtics, who have been rumored to be in his services. Sticking with the Atlantic Division, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post wrote about how the Toronto Raptors have generated buzz at the NBA Summer League in possibly acquiring Leonard. He mentions that Toronto could package Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan in a deal.
With all that being said, the Sixers still remain the favorite to land Leonard. A couple of weeks ago, the Sixers reportedly made an offer for the talented two-way player.
Philadelphia could use a combination of high draft picks, plus Dario Saric and Robert Covington to acquire Leonard. If push came to shove, this might be the best deal San Antonio could get as the Sixers are not willing to include Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz, and Ben Simmons in trade talks.
Nevertheless, if Philadelphia were able to retain Leonard for the long-term it would be a major power move in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Kawhi Sixers NBA Trade Rumors: The latest
After exercising his $27.9 million player option for next season, Carmelo Anthony could be out the door in Oklahoma City.
Last week, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Royce Young reported that Anthony and Thunder will part ways sometime this summer, due to financial reasons and his role changing with the team.
The Thunder could either trade, buyout or use the stretch provision on Anthony as he would save Oklahoma City over $100 million next season.
However, all is not lost for Anthony as he does have some potential suitors for his services if bought out or traded. This past weekend, Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are one of Anthony's preferred destinations. This does not come as a surprise as his friend and former USA basketball teammate LeBron James now plays for the Lakers.
Outside of Los Angeles, Kevin O' Connor of The Ringer reported on Sunday that NBA executives feel that the Houston Rockets are the favorites to land Anthony.
He also said that the Lakers, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers have also been mentioned when it comes to Anthony. This is not the first time we heard about Anthony being connected to the Sixers.
Back in June 2017, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported that Anthony was interested in the idea of orchestrating a move to either Philadelphia or the Washington Wizards to be closer to his son.
Fast forward to this summer and the Sixers stand out as a team that does need him at all. Anthony does not help Philadelphia win more games next season in no way, shape, or form.
Last season, Anthony had his worst year statistically in the NBA to date. The former third overall pick started in 78 games for Oklahoma City, but only averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.
While his offensive numbers were down, Anthony's defensive abilities did not improve either.
This past season, Anthony had a DRtg (defensive rating) of 109, defensive rebounding percentage of 17.7, and an -3.8 box plus/minus.
Anthony would be a downgrade at the small forward position for the Sixers. He isn’t better than Robert Covington, who is a better defender and can give you almost the same scoring output.
Furthermore, Anthony would not accept coming of the bench in Philadelphia. He would only do something like that if he is playing with his banana boat buddies.
