Kawhi Leonard Trade Rumors: Ranking Lakers, 76ers, Celtics Chances Of Landing San Antonio's Star

Despite all the reports that Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio and the Spurs are willing to trade him, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year has yet to be dealt. The teams that have shown interest in acquiring Leonard haven't met San Antonio’s steep asking price.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Spurs are looking for a package that will keep them competitive and also help them in the future. That means receiving players that can contribute to a playoff run next season, as well as draft picks.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics have been the three teams most prominently linked to a potential deal for Leonard. The Los Angeles Clippers are also in the mix.

Which one of those teams will budge first? Will San Antonio lower their asking price as the 2018-2019 NBA season gets closer?

Let’s rank the top three potential destinations for Leonard in order of where he’s most likely to end up.

Los Angeles Lakers

NBA CBA guru Larry Coon recently said on Spectrum SportsNet that the Spurs asked for Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, two first-round picks and the ability to swap two future draft picks in exchange for Leonard. The Lakers aren’t willing to give up that match for a player that has expressed a desire to go to L.A. as a free agent next summer, especially if no other team is offering a package nearly as valuable.

The Lakers make sense as the Spurs’ best trading partner because they know they can keep Leonard beyond 2019. The team reportedly wants to be competitive next season after signing LeBron James, and adding Leonard would make them the biggest threat to the Golden State Warriors in the West. San Antonio will have to lower their asking price if a deal isn’t done within the next few weeks, and it’s hard to believe that Los Angeles will turn down the chance to pair a top-five player with James during one of his remaining prime years.

Philadelphia 76ers

Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Schultz has reported that the Spurs have asked the 76ers for three first-round picks and two current players. Philadelphia won’t trade Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons or Markelle Fultz, according to Wojnarowski, but a package that includes Dario Saric, Robert Covington and a bunch of picks might be enough to get a deal done.

The 76ers are a real player for Leonard if they can acquire the superstar without giving up their two stars or last year’s No.1 overall selection. The question is whether or not Philadelphia would part with multiple draft picks for a player that might leave next offseason. Paul George’s decision to stay in Oklahoma City after spending a year with the Thunder could ultimately give them confidence that Leonard wouldn’t be just a one-year rental.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics probably can make the best offer to the Spurs because of all their assets. They’ve got All-Stars (Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward), budding stars (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) and valuable draft picks (four potential 2019 first-rounders) that they can include in a deal. Boston is already favored to win the East, and adding Leonard would make them a borderline juggernaut.

According to Wojnarowski, Boston won’t trade any of their five best players. That’s probably a non-starter for San Antonio, who hopes to remain competitive. Perhaps the offers from Los Angeles and Philadelphia will be so weak that a package centered on draft picks and players like Terry Rozier will get it done, but the Celtics have to be considered somewhat of a long shot to land Leonard this summer.