If the Miami Heat's dream of landing Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason doesn't come to fruition, they could pivot to Kawhi Leonard if he's available. As Hunter Patterson of The Athletic wrote on Wednesday, that may not even be an option (subscription required).
What’s more, as one rival executive from another team that has an interest in Leonard shared with The Athletic, there is skepticism that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is truly willing to trade Leonard.
Depending on the results of the NBA's investigation into the Aspiration scandal, Los Angeles may have no choice but to get rid of Kawhi, as the organization may have to void his contract. But it doesn't sound like the Clippers are willing to part with the 34-year-old.
Kawhi Leonard might not be available for trade
The only reason the Heat should consider trading for Leonard is if they lose out on Antetokounmpo, and, based on his recent comments that he hopes to stay in Milwaukee for many more years, that's a possible outcome. And even if they do trade Giannis, there is no guarantee it will be to Miami.
There is a list of risks that come with landing either. It shouldn't cost the Heat as much to get Kawhi, but injuries are more of a concern for him than they are for Giannis. And there would be even more pressure on Miami to win with Leonard, as he's over three years older than Antetokounmpo.
Rolling the dice on a Kawhi trade is a line that Miami probably shouldn't cost, unless LA were willing to part with him at a reasonable price. Ballmer could try to demand a bigger package than Leonard is worth at this stage in his career, which, in the end, could keep a deal from happening entirely.
Heat need to stay away from Kawhi trade anyway
Pat Riley isn't the type to move forward with a Leonard deal, but maybe he would be tempted enough to explore the possibility if Antetokounmpo stayed put or went elsewhere. To avoid that, it'd be best for Los Angeles to keep him or set the price high enough for Miami to stay away entirely.
Hopefully, the Heat can avoid the Kawhi speculation by getting Antetokounmpo sometime in the next few weeks. Even after what he recently said about hoping to stay where he is, there should still be hope that he will decide what's best for him is to leave Milwaukee and help Miami compete for a title, which it'd have a higher chance of doing with him over Leonard.
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