Knicks Trade Rumors: Pros and cons of targeting Kawhi Leonard

Con: Opportunity Cost

If Kawhi Leonard hadn’t missed what essentially equates to a full season, this wouldn’t be an issue. Giving up multiple draft picks and a young player for a superstar who’s just now entering his prime is a move that even the most jaded of New York Knicks fans should support.

Due to the fact that Leonard is still an emerging player on the offensive end of the floor, however, missing what’s essentially a full season could prove devastating.

One could fairly assume that a trade with the San Antonio Spurs would center around Frank Ntilikina and multiple draft picks. That would likely include the Knicks’ 2018 pick, which projects to be in the top 10 on the night that a trade would be executed.

That would provide San Antonio with an opportunity to potentially select a future franchise player, all the while retaining the rights to the first-round pick it posses further down the board.

In order to make the salaries work, one of two possibilities would likely be explored. The first would be Courtney Lee, who’s a two-way veteran who’d fit San Antonio’s identity, and the second would be Tim Hardaway Jr., who’s begun to tap into his own potential.

A package of Ntilikina, 2018 and 2020 first-round draft picks, and Hardaway would be a steep cost for a player whose injuries have forced him to miss essentially a full season.