Kawhi Leonard is suddenly a real trade possibility for Cleveland

Do the Cleveland Cavaliers have a realistic chance of trading for San Antonio Spurs star forward Kawhi Leonard?

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have a chance to trade for San Antonio Spurs star forward Kawhi Leonard after the latter expressed his desire to play for another team.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Shams Charania, the 26-year-old Leonard no longer wants to return to the Spurs:

ESPN’s Chris Haynes would add that the relationship between Leonard and the Spurs seems irreparable while ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Leonard’s preferred destination is the Los Angeles Lakers.

Leonard, a four-time All-Defense selection, a two-time All-Star and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 16.2 points (on 46.8 percent shooting from the field, 31.4 percent shooting from three and 81.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line), 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block in 23.3 minutes per game last season, only playing in nine games as he spent most of the season recovering from a quadriceps injury.

Leonard has averaged 17.9 points (on 49.5 percent shooting from the field, 38.7 percent shooting from three and 85.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line), 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game since becoming a full-time starter in 2012-2013, his second NBA season.

There will be no shortage of suitors for Leonard and to acquire him, the Cavs will have to battle a number of teams for his services: the Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks.

Of these teams, the lone teams without a lottery pick in the upcoming draft are the Lakers and the Celtics. These teams do have young players that can be seen as substitutes for a lottery pick though.

Still, the biggest factor in a trade scenario may a Spurs’ desire to keep Leonard out of the Western Conference and avoid building yet another superteam they would have to take down.

If that should be the case, as it was with the Indiana Pacers and Paul George (and possibly the Chicago Bulls and Jimmy Butler), then the Cavaliers main competition will be the Celtics and Sixers.

The Cavs will likely have to give up a package centered on the 8th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and five-time All-Star Kevin Love.

The Celtics would likely match that trade value with a trade package of Kyrie Irving or Gordon Hayward, two All-Stars coming off of season-ending injuries, and Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum.

The Sixers would likely match the move with a trade of centered on the 10th overall pick and Dario Saric.

The Knicks would have to have a package centered on Tim Hardaway Jr. and the 9th overall pick.

Should the Cavs be the favorites? 

What gives the Cavs a better chance of trading for Leonard than these three East teams?

While the Celtics have talented players, that the two most tradable veteran stars are coming off of injury is a factor that will surely be factor into the Spurs assessment. Similarly, the Knicks have a slightly lower pick in the upcoming draft and a young player suddenly prone to stress fractures to offer.

In truth, with how much the Knicks would have to surrender for Leonard it’s unclear how interested they would be in acquiring him. At this point, they’re a franchise that’s trying to rebuild rather than giving up major assets.

As for the Sixers, who have nearly completed their rebuild, the possibility of Leonard leaving the Sixers in free agency would mean the Sixers have lost a top-ten pick and a pretty good forward for nothing. That’s possibly too risky a proposal for a team as young as the Sixers.

However, unlike the Celtics, the All-Star that the Cavs can offer has durability issues but has no major injuries to deal with. Furthermore, it’s an All-Star being paid $7 million fewer than Gordon Hayward and more likely to re-sign in a post-Popovich world than Kyrie Irving.

Unlike the Sixers, the Cavs will have no qualms about moving Love and if the 8th pick brings in Leonard, which should help them re-sign LeBron James, they’ll move without hesitation.

Out west, the Clippers, armed with two late lottery picks and a young stud in Tobias Harris, could ultimately be the favorite. The Lakers, who have three young prospects who the jury is still out on, actually have the worst potential trade packages of any team.

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Leonard will have to be traded by next Thursday, the day of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers are to trade for him.