Since the Kawhi Leonard trade saga started, there were only a handful of teams that were truly in contention for the disgruntled forward's services – and it starts with having the assets to appease the San Antonio Spurs, who still aims to be playoff contenders when the smoke clears.
However, that's not stopping other teams from making calls and doing their due diligence. One dark horse candidate is the Miami Heat who recently got attached to the Leonard sweepstakes. Their talent pool lacks the names and youthful prestige presented by other teams — only the presence of Pat Riley and his ability to assemble talent, is what's giving the team a chance.
But according to Heat beat writer Barry Jackson, Riley isn't sure if it would be a smart trade for them because not only would they be gutting their roster to acquire Leonard, but they don't have a superstar to partner with him and convince the 27-year-old to stay once his contract is up.
With Riley unwilling to give Spurs a choice of anyone on his roster for Leonard, some might say OKC took that LA gamble with Paul George trade. Difference is OKC could offer George a chance to play with an NBA MVP, who he quickly bonded with. Heat couldn't offer that to Kawhi.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) July 2, 2018
But still, the Spurs' best deals can only be made with certain teams.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been the most ardent suitors for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, hoping to initially form a star-power trio with Paul George and LeBron James before George put a monkey wrench on those plans and stayed in Chesapeake. They do have the requisite amount of players to strike a deal — but their unwillingness to surrender all of their notable young players (specifically Kyle Kuzma), made a deal improbable at this time.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics are also in the conversation and have similarly intriguing packages available.