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San Antonio Spurs: Predicting a Kawhi Leonard trade timetable

By Rob Wolkenbrod

HOUSTON, TX - MAY 7: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs stands for a moment of silence for the National Anthem before the game against the Houston Rockets during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2017 Playoffs on May 7, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MAY 7: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs stands for a moment of silence for the National Anthem before the game against the Houston Rockets during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2017 Playoffs on May 7, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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When could the San Antonio Spurs trade Kawhi Leonard this offseason?

It’s July 15 and the San Antonio Spurs have yet to trade Kawhi Leonard — the offseason move that will shape everything that happens this summer. This changes the landscape of the Spurs roster and whichever team he joins.

As of now, there is no reported timetable on when the Spurs could trade Leonard. With the regular season not set to start until the middle of October, there’s still plenty of time for the team to move him and not have it impact anything once games begin.

So, when could San Antonio trade Leonard? It’s impossible to pinpoint, but the weeks before training camp, around the first or second week of September, makes sense.

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The Spurs can wait as long as possible this summer to move Leonard, letting the process drag out and allow for free agency to drain. Once that transpires, the Silver and Black can see which teams still want to make transactions and have desperation to add a piece, no matter how big of a name it is. Especially if it’s a Western Conference team, as most of its 15 teams added pieces that seem to push their competitiveness forward, at least on paper.

If it’s the Eastern Conference, without LeBron James around, could the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers or Toronto Raptors jump to the head of the line and acquire the player that can help them secure a wide-open NBA Finals spot? That will depend if any of them offer the necessary youth to acquire Leonard, including Jaylen Brown from the Celtics and Markelle Fultz from the Sixers.

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So, look for a somewhat last-minute transaction to send Leonard somewhere else before the 2018-19 season begins. Of course the Spurs can retain him and start the season without a trade, but that limits the potential assets they could receive.

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