What If Spurs Traded Kawhi Leonard to Lakers?

Kawhi Leonard was never going to be the San Antonio Spurs' centerpiece, but what if the they didn't trade him to the Toronto Raptors to give him his second championship?

Sitting and mulling over past decisions might be the worst thing any franchise can do with its spare time. 

Whether that time is spent regretting a past trade, wondering what would have happened if a certain draft prospect wasn't overlooked or even just wondering how one shot falling or not falling would have affected a season, more often than not, it has a disappointing effect. 

One of the biggest moves in recent history for the San Antonio Spurs happened a little over five years ago, and centered around Kawhi Leonard — the small forward who was supposed to lead the charge in San Antonio after Tim Duncan's retirement. And whether they like it or not, the Spurs' front office likely has spent ample time thinking and re-thinking their decision to buy into Leonard's wants.

At the time, the small forward was fully a veteran, coming off of his seventh season in the NBA — all of which had been spent in San Antonio. He only played nine games in the preceding season, however, after re-aggravating an ankle injury from the Western Conference Finals the year prior. That injury sidelined him to begin the year, and ultimately kept him out for a majority of it — which later turned into the injury that made Leonard a different player altogether. 

Since the 2016-17 season, Leonard hasn't been the same, apart from the one championship-winning season he spent in Toronto. That year, he proved his All-Star talent and showed exactly why he was capable of being a franchise's centerpiece, just not the Spurs' centerpiece. 

Unfortunately, that fact has only become more apparent since his departure, and some San Antonio fans still aren't over it ... and rightfully so.

Leonard was never going to be the Spurs' first-option, and we won't try to make him that, either. That isn't the point of this exercise. Instead, let's explore a different alternate reality, one where Leonard was still traded away, but just not to Toronto. 

What if the Spurs sent Kawhi Leonard to his current Los Angeles rival? 

"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?"

The easiest part of this scenario to be answered is the question of "What about the Raptors?" Point blank, Toronto loses. It loses regular season games, it loses the roster game and it certainly doesn't make it to the NBA Finals. Instead, DeMar DeRozan stays with the Raptors and his team plays out his contract for a few more seasons.

As for San Antonio, even without DeRozan making a home in Texas, the Spurs would still look different, just with assets from L.A. instead of Canada. 

"The Spurs would get Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and a future first-round pick, [while] Leonard would've partnered with James in Los Angeles, potentially winning a title in their first season together after Kevin Durant got hurt in the Western Conference playoffs, while also removing enough assets that a trade for Anthony Davis the following summer never happens," ESPN wrote.

No Davis in Lakers Purple? It's a shocking thought, especially given the fit that Davis threw to get over there in the first place. Perhaps that still would've happened, but instead of landing in the City of Angels, he'd end up somewhere else. 

That's the second part of this 'What If?' 

The final part is about the fate of the Spurs. Instead of DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, it would've been Ingram, Kuzma and Aldridge. That combination wouldn't have been considered a "Big Three" — especially not at that time — but it would have had potential. 

Ingram certainly would have found success, especially given the fact that his role would be far greater in San Antonio than it was with LeBron and the young Lakers. But while he and Kuzma would have begun to carve out roles for themselves, the Spurs as. a whole wouldn't have been as competitive as they were with DeRozan.

"Instead of staying afloat as a fringe playoff team with DeRozan, San Antonio would've been near the bottom of the league with Ingram as its main offensive weapon," ESPN continued.

What's the fallout of that? 

Well, fast forward a few seasons after DeRozan's departure to Chicago. The Spurs are left with a declining Aldridge, who's replacement isn't All-Star caliber, and Keldon Johnson, who alongside Ingram, may have been able to help San Antonio make noise in the West. But the timing of the Spurs' decline to the bottom of the league would have been different — likely leading to the Spurs not getting their "savior." 

No Wembanyama. That's the likely result of Kawhi being traded somewhere else than the Raptors. The Spurs didn't exactly compete for a championship with DeRozan, but doing that would have been even less possible during Ingram and Kuzma's early years.

So, that leaves San Antonio with one final question: 

Is Victor Wembanyama going to make the Spurs more competitive than a Kuzma-Ingram duo would have at this stage in their careers? If all goes according to plan with the 7-4 French phenom, that answer is no. But there could be a case made otherwise.

Either way, two things are certain of this situation: everything happens for a reason, and the Spurs don't have time to be thinking about what could have been. Luckily for them, they aren't anymore. 

Now, the team is focused on helping Wembanyama adjust to the NBA, as the entire roster looks to once again compete in the West. 

How's that for a "What If?"

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