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Kawhi Leonard Trade Helped The Spurs Land Victor Wembanyama

It has been nearly five years, but the Kawhi Leonard trade may have helped the San Antonio Spurs in a big way. Helping the Spurs land highly coveted big man Victor Wembanyama.

The Spurs dynasty was quickly coming to a close. Hall of Famer Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli retired, Tony Parker was a new member of the Charlotte Hornets and Leonard remained the final piece to be moved. A move that would send shockwaves across the NBA.

Kawhi Leonard Trade Helped The Spurs Land Victor Wembanyama

What If Kawhi Leonard Did Not End Up A Raptor?

The talk of the 2018 off-season was finding out where Leonard would end up. Among the top destinations, the Los Angeles Lakers remained in conversation.

In a similar trade offered for Anthony Davis, the Spurs could have landed Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and future draft picks. The trade in part would have stopped any real chance for the Lakers to land Davis but potentially could see Leonard winning his second championship with LeBron James.

The Spurs with Ingram at the helm would not be championship contenders, but would not be at the bottom of the Western Conference. The chances for a high lottery pick could have been thrown out the window but by now fans may have seen glimpses of a true rebuild.

Instead, the Spurs ended up with DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors hoisted their first-ever NBA championship. The lack of development inevitably helped the Spurs land a higher lottery pick at the perfect time.

A Spurs Dynasty In The Making 

Wembanyama has yet to play a true NBA game and all eyes are on the Spurs. The hype surrounding Leonard coming into the NBA was nowhere near.

Behind the mastermind of Gregg Popovich another home run was in the making. With core leadership, the Spurs visited the Miami Heat in the finals in back-to-back years.

A crushing defeat in 2013 thanks to Ray Allen‘s clutch corner three-point lives rent free in the hearts of Spurs fans. Leonard’s missed free throw that set up the game tying three-point shot can haunt any player.

Instead, Leonard rose up to the occasion and at just 22 years old won the finals MVP the following season. If the hype is real for Wembanyama, he can easily knock these achievements out of the park.

The skillset speaks for itself. The rebuild Spurs fans have been waiting for is finally here.

The Last Word On A Kawhi Leonard Trade

Spurs fans may have loved seeing Leonard finish his career with the Spurs. Leonard got his wish and played for one season with the Raptors but immediately got shipped the following season.

As of now, the Spurs do not look like they won the trade and Wembanyama can easily change that. The Spurs were not able to stop the Lakers from winning a title, but a playoff run is near for the Spurs.

How many titles will Wembanyama have before his career is all said and done? If he brings two more banners to the Spurs, fans will forget all about the Leonard trade. Although it may be wise to consider what could have been if Leonard didn’t go to the Raptors.

Ryan Menzie

Ryan Menzie

Ryan Menzie is a Los Angeles native who grew up loving sports thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Baltimore Ravens. Playing basketball since he was seven years old, Ryan wanted to one day play professional sports. Of course, the dream was cut short and instead decided his best route to still be apart of the sports world is through his writing.

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