The Kawhi Leonard-San Antonio Spurs saga has recently taken another crucial turn as reports went out that the two sides have failed to patch up a rumored misunderstanding even after a players-only meeting. Leonard is reportedly still unwilling to suit up for the Spurs with only 10 games left in the team’s regular season campaign, prompting La Prensa to list down five summer trade scenarios that could involve the former NBA Finals MVP.
Kyle Spishock of La Prensa , a San Antonio bilingual media outlet, suggested various potential trades with different teams recently linked to the two-time NBA All-Star. One interesting proposal is that of a one-on-one deal that would send Leonard to the Washington Wizards in exchange for five-time All-Star John Wall.
The 27-year-old Wall is still out with a knee injury that sidelined him in late January. He has only played 37 games this season, averaging 19.4 points, 9.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 34.3 minutes per game. There are reports suggesting that he could be cleared for 5-on-5 basketball participation by this coming weekend, which would be good news for head coach Scott Brooks and his boys.
The Wizards have competed decently without Wall, going 4-3 in their last seven assignments, as they are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Some analysts believe that Washington could actually be better with Wall sidelined as the team’s ball movement has improved, which set off speculations that the ballclub might decide to trade the former Kentucky star this summer.
Spishock noted while the Wizards’ assists tally had increased, Wall’s absence still made the team struggle in scoring the basketball as a group. However, trading him for Leonard would instantly solve their scoring and shooting woes while at the same time adding another elite perimeter defender that could make everyone else around him play better.
As for San Antonio, Wall could be the team’s point guard of the future with Tony Parker already in the twilight of his career. The Spurs’ current starter, Dejounte Murray, has been inconsistent as of late and “seems to be more of a bench guy,” Spishock said.
A one-two punch of Wall and LaMarcus Aldridge would also be a great inside-outside combo for the Spurs moving forward.
