The Philadelphia 76ers appear to have been star-hunting once again at the NBA trade deadline, following a report connecting the team to Kawhi Leonard.
According to an article by Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey explored deals at the trade deadline to maximize the team’s potential this season, including inquiring about the availability of the Los Angeles Clippers star forward.
The article, which focused on the Jared McCain trade and whether it was a mistake, mentioned Leonard after a quote from Morey’s post-deadline media availability in which he said the team pursued additions after dealing McCain.
“Executives have said the Sixers were actively making calls pre-deadline, though nothing seemed remotely close,” O’Connor wrote. “Some sources suggest Morey was star hunting with Kawhi Leonard being a name that was connected to Philly. But nothing happened. So Embiid, Maxey and the team saw McCain get dealt, the tax get ducked, and no pieces brought in to help.”
The idea that Morey may have called looking to land Leonard should not affect any opinion on how they handled the trade deadline. Conversations ultimately went nowhere, and the Sixers only made the moves they did, so that’s what should be considered when evaluating the front office’s performance.
You don’t get bonus points for wanting to trade for someone.
As for what to take away from this sourced speculation, there are questions about whether it happened, the pros and cons of trading for Leonard, and what the attempt reveals about the team’s strategy.
First up, is it even possible — or alternatively likely — that this happened?
Whether it’s Morey working the phones or a member of his front office team, he is one of the most active executives at the deadline and always ready to make an inquiry.
Looking at his track record, Morey is the type to do his due diligence on any player he’s interested in.
Two years ago, then-ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Morey had called the Lakers about the availability of LeBron James and the Phoenix Suns about Kevin Durant. Wojnarowski described these pursuits as “historically a common practice” for Morey.
With the Clippers moving off both James Harden and Ivica Zubac ahead of the deadline, the idea that Kawhi would be available is not outlandish. That said, the Clippers were clearly not giving him away.
Given Morey’s history and habits, it seems at least plausible that the Sixers’ front office explored the possibility of a trade for Leonard.
Trading for Leonard, or at least inquiring about him, is certainly a possibility, but there’s still the question of whether a potential deal makes sense.
The best way to consider this is by looking at what a deal would involve, its impact from both a talent and financial perspective, and, finally, the additional factors that could affect his stint in Philly.
Any deal for Leonard would likely require sending Paul George back to Los Angeles. Tyrese Maxey is firmly considered untouchable by the organization, while Joel Embiid would likely only be dealt either after a trade demand or in a situation that allows the team to quickly retool the roster around Maxey and rookie VJ Edgecombe.
After the Clippers’ deals involving Harden and Zubac, the team is over $7 million below the first apron. That means that the Clippers could take back up to 125% more in salary than they send out, up to the first apron, at which point the team is hard-capped.
In short, George would be the only salary that would need to be included, and then there would likely be draft-pick compensation sent to LA to make up the value difference between George and Leonard.
The pros for Philadelphia include Leonard’s significantly higher level of play and the chance to maximize contention with a relatively healthy Joel Embiid. Leonard also has one fewer year on his contract than George, which could give Philadelphia more financial flexibility a year sooner than expected.
This season, Leonard has averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while playing in 47 of 61 games with the Clippers. Those numbers stand out, especially compared to Paul George's stats — 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, and, at most, he will play in 37 of 82 games this season.
The pros are compelling, but the cons are concerning.
Some cons of acquiring another older, oft-injured near-max star are clear, but Leonard’s situation is a bit more complicated.
Leonard is currently the focus of an NBA investigation into allegations that the Clippers may have used outside business arrangements to provide Leonard with additional compensation outside the confines of the league’s salary restrictions.
No one knows what the penalty for such a violation would be, but some, including NBA insider Tom Haberstroh, have speculated it could involve Leonard’s contract being invalidated altogether.
While part of trading George for Kawhi is to free up some money from the salary cap, it wouldn’t be ideal for the Sixers to acquire a player as talented as Leonard only for his contract to be invalidated in the offseason, if not sooner.
Targeting a player as talented as Leonard suggests the Sixers at least felt they had a chance to contend. Unfortunately, it also suggests that the team remains committed to making the wrong type of additions.
Often, it’s been said that the Sixers are trapped between two timelines: Joel Embiid’s contention window and Tyrese Maxey’s. Looking to take advantage of Embiid’s rapidly closing window, the team is attempting to add top-level talent, but continues to target players who match Joel Embiid’s timeline, previously James Harden and Paul George, and now Kawhi Leonard.
The consistent issue with all three of these players, as the Clippers have also found, is that they all come with complications. All three come at a high salary cost; George and Leonard, specifically, are among the top 15 highest-paid players in the league. Additionally, all three have proven unreliable, especially in the way the Sixers need them alongside Joel Embiid.
George has been unable to stay healthy, and more recently, his suspension has put a tremendous strain on the rest of the roster. When Harden was in Philadelphia, he operated as a high-end floor raiser and dominant scoring option when he felt like it, but his level of effort was inconsistent night to night. As for Leonard, health has been a concern in years past, and while he’s been more available this season compared to last year, the odds of being able to rely on a 34-year-old forward with many NBA miles and a lingering league investigation are simply not very high.
The Clippers have learned this about both Harden and George. On top of that, their future with Leonard is anything but certain. And yet, the Sixers are still somehow learning this lesson.
Philadelphia’s current strategy has a proven record of failure. The alternative is easier said than done, but especially as Embiid’s availability continues to fluctuate, the team is better off trying to add multiple players who can support the team more consistently. And if the organization continues to insist on star hunting, they should do so with Maxey’s timeline in mind rather than Embiid’s.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.
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