NBA Trade Rumors: Updates on Potential Blockbuster Deals Entering 2018 Draft
With the 2018 NBA draft days away on June 22, most of the talk around the NBA surrounds Kawhi Leonard.
Franchises across the league are working up potential trade packages behind the scenes in order to bring in Leonard.
Acquiring the 26-year-old could be a first step for teams looking to attract LeBron James away from Cleveland, and in the best-case scenario, they could lure Paul George to form the league's next super team.
Leonard wants out of San Antonio, as ESPN's Chris Haynes reported Friday, and ever since the news broke, a frenzy erupted on the NBA rumor mill.
Los Angeles appears to be the ideal destination for Leonard, who is from California, with the Los Angeles Lakers at the forefront of most rumors.
According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Clippers would be among the teams Leonard would consider in addition to the Lakers.
If the Clippers were to make an offer to the Spurs, they'd package Tobias Harris and either the 12th or 13th overall pick, according to Ganguli's report, while the Lakers don't have a draft pick as high as the Clippers to offer.
Leonard was almost immediately associated with the impending decision James has to make this summer about his future, and since the Cleveland Cavaliers are still in the market for James until he tells them otherwise, they are one of many teams calling the Spurs to inquire about a potential trade for Leonard, per Cleveland.com's Terry Pluto.
The Cavaliers possess the No. 8 overall pick, which originally belonged to the Lakers, but if they aren't guaranteed of James' return, they might not be in the mix for Leonard.
There's also no guarantee a trade for Leonard is completed before Thursday's draft, but selected players from the draft could still be part of the packages.
The Phoenix Suns hold the No. 1 overall pick, and while they aren't in the mix for Leonard, they could end up facilitating a potential deal if more than two teams get involved.
Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic mentioned the Suns could help out the Lakers in a potential deal by taking on the salary of a veteran player like Luol Deng.
Leonard might not be the only player on the move in the near future, as the Memphis Grizzlies are gauging interest for Chandler Parsons, as well as the No. 4 pick, per The Athletic's Michael Scotto.
There are a handful of teams with multiple first-round picks, or a collection of second-round selections that might have interest in Parsons, but the deal would have to work for the other team involved.
The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the franchises with two selections, No. 10 and No. 25, and they could package them together to move into the top five.
Former Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said on SiriusXM Radio Friday that the Sixers are looking to move up in the draft through a trade, per SiriusXM's Tom Byrne:
Plenty of new reports will come out in the days before the draft, with some focusing around draft picks and others centering on star players similar to Leonard, James and Parsons.
Based off what we've seen in past years, draft night won't be silent, but the amount of trades that actually surface remains to be seen.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
