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Would a Kawhi Leonard Hail Mary Have Been Enough to Save The Sixers?
By Sean Barnard
Published:
After an encouraging start to the season, the Sixers now drift aimlessly into the home stretch. They hold some level of hope that they can get healthy enough to put forth a respectable effort in the final stretch, but currently are outmatched on a night-by-night basis, with roughly 80% of their salary cap currently sidelined due to injury.
The inaction at the trade deadline, outside of the decision to trade Jared McCain for a collection of draft picks, further cemented this fate. However, one whisper that has made its rounds following the deadline was the Sixers expressing interest in two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
As first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor:
“Executives have said the Sixers were actively making calls pre-deadline. Though nothing seemed remotely close. Some sources suggest Morey was star hunting with Kawhi Leonard being a name that was connected to Philly. But nothing happened. So Embiid, Maxey and the team saw McCain get dealt, the tax get ducked, and no pieces brought in to help.”
This mention of Leonard is particularly interesting given the timing. While this reads as more speculatory than a direct offer that was made, the Clippers had a full fire-sale at the deadline that Daryl Morey seemingly attempted to pounce on. Los Angeles opened the season with a 6-21 record, with things looking to get out of control in a competitive Western Conference. The Clippers then ripped off an impressive stretch in which they won 21 of their 28 games and looked fully back in the mix. Rather than doubling down on their hot stretch, they traded away James Harden to the Cavaliers and Ivica Zubac to the Pacers, leaving Leonard as the lone notable win-now piece remaining on the roster.
It would be interesting to know when this game plan was established by the Clippers and how involved Morey was in the conversation. Officially, the Harden trade was announced in its entirety by ESPN’s Shams Charania at 8:03 p.m. on February 3rd. This left nearly two entire days until the trade deadline passed and occurred after Harden had missed back-to-back games with the Clippers for what was listed as “personal reasons.”
The Ivica Zubac trade was broken at 2:11 p.m. on NBA trade deadline day, leaving 49 minutes until the deadline passed. There are always plenty of conversations had leading up to the announcement, so the framework could have mostly been decided plenty before this, with the final details being ironed out. But given how tight the margins were timing wise, unlike Harden, this felt like more of a last-minute decision.
There has been a strange overlap between the Clippers and the Sixers for several years. Both parties have observed the ups and downs of the James Harden and Paul George experiences to varying degrees. Both lived through a Doc Rivers tenure, rostered Ben Simmons, and have had some fun overlap with players like Nico Batum, Marcus Morris, and Robert Covington. There has also been plenty of attention paid to the Sixers holding possession of the 2028 Clippers’ first round pick stemming from the initial Harden trade.
To be clear here, Kawhi Leonard is awesome. Yes, this is the same Kawhi Leonard who sent the Sixers packing in the 2018-19 postseason, which very well may have been their best path to actually winning the NBA Finals. Now in his age-34 season, Leonard is averaging a career-high 28.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while flirting with the 50/40/90 club. He would have immediately provided a jolt of energy to the fan base and become the best player to be paired with Embiid. But Leonard has plenty of injury concerns of his own, and tripling down on oft-injured stars would be quite the choice given the current hole the Sixers find themselves in. It is in a different form, but the same bet the Sixers are currently making on the team will be very good if they can get to the finish line healthy.
Harden also had some fun with the current status of George and Embiid with an interesting outfit ahead of the most recent Sixers vs. Cavaliers matchup:
While he has his flaws, availability has always been a strength of Harden. He played 72 and 79 games with the Clippers in the two seasons after being traded and has suited up for 56 so far this year between the Clippers and Cavaliers. These 207 total games played are more than Embiid (91) and George (142) have over the same period, with George’s 74 games played in his final season in Los Angeles doing some heavy lifting in this conversation.
But where any legitimacy to these trade whispers must stop is the lack of a pathway to actually making a deal. Leonard is on the books for $50 million this season and just over $50 million next season. To make the financials of the deal work it would need to involve one of the Sixers’ three max players. Tyrese Maxey should be a non-negotiable given the age and injury concerns to Leonard. Embiid carries many of the same concerns as Leonard, and the Clippers already attempted to make it work with George on the roster. The Clippers disinterest is fair, but Morey’s willingness to have the conversation is noteworthy.
The Clippers are clearly turning a page on this era of basketball, and Leonard is the last part of the foundation. He has proven capable of elevating a team on a championship run in one season, which he did under Nick Nurse in Toronto. It is Daryl Morey’s job to explore all options, and this was a worthy phone call even if it came with no results. Beyond just the level Leonard is currently playing at being an obvious change to the Sixers’ outlook, shortening the backend of years committed to the top stars currently on the roster holds more value than was once the case.
But ultimately, this felt like a desperate attempt to right the ship in which the Clippers had no interest in throwing the Sixers a lifeline. They have made their bed with their contractual commitment and are forced to live with this.
Maybe the better question is how significant a page the Sixers are interested in turning. Two years into the Big Three era and there still is not a big enough sample size of the stars playing together to declare its results. This in itself is a bit of a ruling on the matter. But the saying goes that desperate times call for desperate measures, and you could certainly view these negotiations through this lens.
Whether this was just taking a flyer on an opportunistic situation or the Sixers beginning to survey the landscape for exit ramps of the current contracts is to be determined. Leonard may or may not be the name that resurfaces when there are more options for roster flexibility this offseason. But patience has certainly worn thin in the fan base, and one would think this is true within the walls of the organization. It may not feel like it, but this final stretch of the regular season and whatever semblance of postseason action the Sixers get is important. Depending on the context of how the season concludes, desperate thoughts begin to be actionable decisions.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.