The Philadelphia 76ers should be in no rush to trade for Kawhi Leonard this offseason, the franchise needs to practice patience in pursuing the superstar.
When considering the possibility of obtaining disgruntled superstar Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs, the Philadelphia 76ers need to remember patience. The Sixers are “star hunting” and with any type of hunting, patience is necessary in scoring the big prize. If the franchise is patient, then Philadelphia can obtain Leonard in the best deal possible.
Like most, I had a knee jerk reaction and proposed a trade that would have the Sixers give up a lot of assets to obtain Leonard. Upon further review and as time passed, there’s a realization that the Sixers don’t need to give up so much if the club is patient. The club should wait until around the NBA Trade Deadline in this upcoming season to make a legit offer for the superstar.
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If the Sixers wait out the Spurs it would be in their favor. Usually the longer it takes for a superstar to get traded, the less other teams have to give up for that player. One of the more recent examples of this is the DeMarcus Cousins trade in the 2016-2017 season. If the Sixers can wait out until close to the trade deadline then the price for Leonard should go down.
Waiting the Spurs out also allows the Sixers to evaluate Leonard’s health and his long term interest in being with the franchise. Those are important questions that need clearly defined answers and those won’t be answered until the NBA season starts. If Leonard still wants to go to Los Angeles next season at that point or if he isn’t healthy, then the Sixers wouldn’t have lost anything by not trading for him.
It also allows the Sixers to take time and evaluate the players the club has gained this summer and how each one fits into the clubs long term plans. Being patient allows the Sixers to put together a trade package for Leonard that would be in their favor.
In an extreme form a patience, which is very risky, the Sixers could wait for Leonard to become a free agent next summer. If Philly waits until next summer, they are projected to have around $40 million in salary cap space, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN. However, that is very risky as he could go straight to either L.A. team and not even consider the Sixers.
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If the Philadelphia 76ers want Leonard, then being patience for the right trade to present itself is essential. Being patient allows the Sixers to evaluate their own players as well as Leonard’s health and intentions. It may not be easy, but the Sixers need to be patient if they want to get the best deal for the Spur’s superstar.