It has been a whirlwind 16 months for Kawhi Leonard. The thought that Leonard was still a member of the San Antonio Spurs organization as recently as July 2018 feels like a lifetime ago, and by NBA standards, it essentially has been.

With Leonard now having shifted the paradigm of nearly the entire league by decision to join the Los Angeles Clippers (which included the caveat of acquiring Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder), it's fair to take a step back and wonder how things may have looked entirely different had the Philadelphia 76ers been willing to acquiesce the Spurs in their trade demands.

As Leonard entered the final season of his deal with San Antonio, the team made him available in trade requests. In an attempt to maximize their return, the Spurs reportedly sought three first-round Draft picks from Philadelphia, in addition to two players who presumably would have helped their team continue to remain competitive. When considering the package that was finally agreed upon with Toronto, it's not surprising that the Sixers and Spurs were unable to agree on terms, as it's unlikely that Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid was leaving the city of Brotherly Love in any deal.

Instead, the Raptors acquired Leonard and went on to win the NBA championship. That wasn't without the Sixers attempting to thwart those plans, of course. They made a blockbuster deal in their own right to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves, an all-in move that came up short in the Eastern Conference Finals and eventually saw Butler depart for South Beach in free agency. Had Leonard been in Philadelphia last season, his epic game-winning Game 7 shot never occurs and it's probable that the Sixers would have been the ones mowing their way to the NBA Finals.

Even with that deal not completed, the Sixers are sitting pretty moving forward. They boast an enormously tall roster that is anchored by Embiid — an MVP candidate — and Simmons, in addition to having strong complementary pieces such as Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson and Al Horford. And for as tempting as a chance at Leonard may have been, Philadelphia still has in its arsenal what it has made such a priority over the last half decade: Draft picks.

So while Leonard now attempts to lead LA to a ring, the Sixers approach from the East looking for the same outcome. The two could have briefly flown in the same sphere, but with that out the window, the next best outcome would be for a collision.