NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on Kawhi Leonard, DeAndre Jordan, More
The first-ever trade to shake up the NBA landscape arguably occurred in 1956, when the St. Louis Hawks dealt second overall draft pick Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics for Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley. Russell went on to win an NBA-record 11 championships. The Hawks won the NBA title in 1958 but have not won since.
The first-ever free-agency move to shake up the NBA landscape arguably occurred 40 years later, when the Los Angeles Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal away from the Orlando Magic. O'Neal made the NBA Finals four times with the Lakers, winning the championship in three consecutive years. The Magic have made the championship round just one since O'Neal left, losing to L.A. in 2009.
These days, it seems like offseason moves drastically change the league every summer, and this year should be no different. The first name on this list (San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard) would certainly fit that bill.
Here's a look at the latest trade-rumor news surrounding Leonard in addition to Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and Phoenix Suns forward Marquese Chriss.
Kawhi Leonard
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke some massive chatter regarding Leonard:
"The San Antonio Spurs are engaged with several teams in trade talks regarding All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, league sources told ESPN.
"The Spurs are clearly open to making a deal in the short term, but they remain in pursuit of a major return of assets for Leonard, a two-time first-team All-NBA player."
Ramona Shelburne, Brian Windhorst and Wojnarowski of ESPN reported more on the Lakers-Leonard front:
"The Los Angeles Lakers re-engaged the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in pursuit of a trade for All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard, league sources told ESPN.
"The Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and LA Clippers are among teams that have made offers to the Spurs for Leonard, league sources said. The Lakers, the franchise Leonard wants to be traded to, did not have an encouraging initial conversation with the Spurs, ESPN reported recently."
Shelburne also wrote more on the status of the Lakers-Leonard talks in a tweet:
The rift between Leonard and the Spurs has been discussed ad nauseam, with Shelburne and Michael C. Wright of ESPN breaking a behind-the-scenes story surrounding the tension in May. It's certainly possible the two sides agree to move forward together, but failing that, San Antonio should have no shortage of suitors for Leonard, who is one of the NBA's best and most well-rounded players.
In his last full season (2016-17), Leonard averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, in addition to being named to the All-NBA First Team. He is also a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Ultimately, the Lakers are going to have to send a haul over to San Antonio for the Spurs to even consider a trade. Unless they are willing to part with at least two of their young star players in addition to other compensation, this shouldn't really be on the table.
The Boston Celtics, however, could make more sense. Like the Lakers, they have a lot of young talent, but unlike L.A., the C's have a boatload of future NBA draft picks that could make a deal appealing. As noted by Hayden Bird of boston.com, the Celtics could have as many as four first-round selections in 2019.
The Spurs may also prefer trading Leonard to the Eastern Conference so they would only have to face him twice a year in the regular season and not until the NBA Finals hypothetically come playoff time.
Right now, it's tough to handicap how this is all going to end, but when the free-agency dominoes start to fall, more clarity should be within reach.
DeAndre Jordan
Marc Stein of The New York Times reported the latest on Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan:
Jordan has averaged 11.9 points and 14.2 rebounds over his past five seasons, and he's also proved to be one of the most durable big men in the game. Since 2010, Jordan has missed just 13 games, and never more than five in a single season. Furthermore, Jordan is just 29 years old and in the prime of his career.
The 10-year veteran would be a great addition to any team, but the question is whether Jordan decides to opt into his contract.
If Jordan is looking for a better chance at a title, then the Clippers are not the right choice. They are moving forward into a new era following the Lob City days, and it will take time for them to reshuffle and go after another postseason run.
The Mavericks, who Stein mentioned could be interested, may have a brighter future than the Clips right now simply because of the backcourt of 2017 first-round pick Dennis Smith Jr. and 2018 first-round pick Luka Doncic, which has excellent potential.
The downside is that they are arguably further from the NBA Finals than other teams who have made a living in the postseason this decade, but Jordan could catch the elevator going up if he ends up in Dallas.
Ultimately, the guess here is that Jordan opts out of his deal and heads to an interested team that offers him the best chance at a ring, but as we've found out over the years, anything is possible in free agency.
Marquese Chriss
Zach Lowe of ESPN wrote about the Phoenix Suns in his free-agency piece: "The problem for Phoenix is that its best assets—Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges—are untouchable and its young big men (Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss) have limited trade value. Chriss was available on draft night, per league sources."
With the addition of center DeAndre Ayton, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, to the team, there will likely be an odd man out in the Suns' frontcourt rotation. That could be Chriss, who has averaged 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game during his first two NBA seasons.
The 6'10" Chriss is just 20 years old and certainly has potential to improve, but frontcourt time just became more limited with Ayton in the mix. T.J. Warren would likely slide over and play a stretch power forward position, with Josh Jackson at small forward, Devin Booker at shooting guard and a point guard to be named leading the way.
It might be best for both Chriss and the Suns to part ways at this juncture. Chriss could fight for more playing time in a less crowded frontcourt, while the Suns could use any trade package in return to help build for the future.
