NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Possible Kawhi Leonard Trade, 76ers' GM Search, More
While the NBA's regular season won't start until October, exciting Las Vegas Summer League action is taking place in July. For the second straight year, the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers' summer squads will face off in the Vegas championship.
Off the court, rumors are flying everywhere in regards to a few players who may find new homes this offseason, most notably San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard.
A few other rumors have been floating around, and you can find a few below.
Kawhi Leonard
The ongoing issues between Leonard and the Spurs have been discussed ad nauseam, and at this point, it seems as though all hope is lost on the two sides coming together.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN dropped some notable information on the Lowe Post podcast (h/t Jeff Garcia of News 4 San Antonio): "I think (the Toronto Raptors) in the driver's seat for Kawhi because I think the Lakers have given up. The Sixers have given up and with the Nets, Bulls and Hawks spending their cap space, it makes it harder to assemble a multi-team trade. I think the Raptors are in the driver's seat."
The Raps weren't talked about much when reports first speculated on Leonard's eventual location. The aforementioned Lakers were likely the most notable landing spot, but if Windhorst's report is on point, L.A. is out of the picture.
There's some smoke to this Raptors-Leonard talk, though: Per Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, the Raptors "generated buzz as a potential destination for Leonard. With LeBron James out of the Eastern Conference, perhaps Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is willing to swing for the fences and move DeMar DeRozan or Kyle Lowry in such a deal."
One would figure that either DeRozan or Lowry would have to be moved in the deal, as they are the Raptors' two resident All-Stars. The tricky part is that the Raptors don't have any notable draft picks from other teams coming their way to use as a trade chip, per RealGM. However, they do have all of their first-rounders down the line, so they can include one or more of them in a deal.
That being said, a Leonard-led Raptors team would likely fare well, making that future first-rounder a little less desirable.
It will be interesting to see if such a deal can work out. The issue is that Leonard is a free agent after next season, so he could end up being a one-year rental if he heads elsewhere in the 2019 offseason.
Daryl Morey
The Philadelphia 76ers are in the market for a new general manager after Bryan Colangelo resigned. Head coach Brett Brown has been the interim general manager in the meantime, but it looks like the 76ers have intentions of going big or going home with their next pick.
Per Marc Stein of The New York Times:
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is one of the more successful executives in the game, having just constructed a team that went 65-17 in the regular season and finished one win short of the NBA Finals. He is also one of the game's greatest analytical minds, which harks back to the old 76ers days when Sam Hinkie was running the show.
The 76ers are undoubtedly a hot landing spot for any general manager, especially considering the team's star power between point guard Ben Simmons and center Joel Embiid. It would be a surprise if Philadelphia didn't land a solid candidate sometime soon.
Mitchell Robinson
The New York Knicks took a gamble on center Mitchell Robinson in the second round. Robinson didn't play college ball as he took what amounted to a gap year between high school and the pros.
However, if the summer league is any indication, the Knicks may have finally been on the right side of draft luck and gotten a steal. Over the course of five games, Robinson posted 13.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and four blocked shots in just 24.8 minutes per contest. Furthermore, the 20-year-old was efficient from the field, making 30-of-45 field goals.
Other teams may end up regretting not selecting Robinson earlier, and one of them could be the Los Angeles Lakers. Per Marc Berman of The New York Post, "The Lakers had considered taking him at No. 25 and were ready to snare him at No. 39 if he had dropped, according to sources."
The Lakers could use more depth at center after Brook Lopez departed, so Robinson could have been a good fit in L.A. As is, Robinson is now a Knick, where he could form a dynamic, long and tough defensive starting lineup with Kevin Knox, Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina down the road.
