Inside The Spurs

Spurs Fiesta 5: Lakers Could Have Traded for Kawhi Leonard in 2018

Kawhi Leonard nearly joined the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade from the San Antonio Spurs five years ago.

Jeremy Brener

Spurs Fiesta 5: Lakers Could Have Traded for Kawhi Leonard in 2018
Spurs Fiesta 5: Lakers Could Have Traded for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 /
In this story:

1. LAKERS TRADE FOR KAWHI? "San Antonio's decision to send Leonard to Toronto led to the Raptors winning the 2019 title," ESPN wrote in a league-wide 'What If' analysis. "What if the Spurs opted to do a deal with the Lakers centered around Brandon Ingram instead of the Toronto deal for DeMar DeRozan?"

2. MALONE PRAISES POP "Coach Popovich, he's obviously, arguably the greatest NBA coach in the history of the game," Malone said. "He was so influential in me getting a job in Cleveland with Mike Brown and Danny Ferry years ago."

3. WEMBY CAN CHANGE BASKETBALL "Everybody is surprised that a tall guy can move like this," Geschwindner told Marc Stein after it became known that he had worked with Wembanyama for a few days in July 2021. "He can only move like this because he's not heavy. That's what people misunderstand.

"This kid has the potential to change basketball again," Geschwindner told Marc Stein.

4. REVOLVE AROUND WEMBY "This summer was all about Wembanyama, who puts the Spurs on a completely different trajectory as a franchise," Bleacher Report wrote of the Spurs rookie. "Twenty years after LeBron James came into the league, San Antonio perhaps has the next generational prospect in Wembanyama.

"Everything from here on out revolves around the 7'[4]" big man and his development."

5. TIM DUNCAN ARENA? "Tim Duncan Arena would be a great name ... but that wouldn't have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. You got to have a giant corporation or you're not keeping up with the Benjamins, er, the Joneses."

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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