The San Antonio Spurs are now "ready" to trade Kawhi Leonard, according to a new piece of intel from the New York Times' Marc Stein. Previous reports have indicated the team is hoping to bring Kawhi back, but it appears at this point San Antonio is cutting its losses—or, at the very least, the Spurs have become open to the idea of trading their former franchise player.
As Stein implied, the Spurs have shown hesitance to shop Kawhi to Los Angeles, which is rumored to be his preferred destination. Per a mid-June report, Kawhi has asked for a trade and made it clear he wants to end up playing for the Lakers.
Instead, the Spurs appear more intent on sending him off to an Eastern Conference foe—like, say, the Philadelphia 76ers or Boston Celtics. Both teams have a bevy of assets they could offer in exchange for Kawhi, should they decide to pursue him.
Teams, however, are hesitant to over-bid for Leonard, as he'll hit free agency next summer, the status of his health is uncertain, there are now questions about how he would impact a locker room, and he seems intent on signing with Los Angeles in 2019, even if he doesn't play there this season. Thus, the Spurs may have realized they need to get something valuable for Kawhi while they still can.
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