KAWHI LEONARD
There’s more to his trade than meets the eye.
K awhi Leonard darkened the door of Indiana’s Bankers Life Fieldhouse earlier this week, and his presence there prompted much lamentation and gnashing of teeth among the locals. • This AllStar Game starter, this NBA Finals most valuable player, this two-time defensive player of the year could have been theirs, and he was, if only for a couple of minutes. • With seething bitterness, and perhaps with a curse word directed toward Pacers president Larry Bird, they recalled the ill-fated trade that sent Leonard to the Spurs in 2011, and they say now they remember knowing it was an obviously terrible move from the moment it transpired. But the human mind can be notoriously unreliable when it comes to memory, particularly when sports fanhood clouds the synapses.
“One minute, the massive crowd at the (F)ieldhouse was muttering, asking, ‘Who’s Kawhi Leonard, why did the Pacers pick Kawhi Leonard and why should we care so much about the size of his hands?’ … Then, when ESPN reported the trade — a middling first-rounder, a second-rounder and the rights to Erazem Lorbek for (George) Hill — the place went nuts (in ecstacy). For good reason.” — Indianapolis Star, June 24, 2011
Spurs fans, too, have forgotten a few details, and one of them is pain. Surely there could not have been much of that six years ago when the franchise secured its future, could there?
Like with other long-lost relationships, the Spurs realize what was not meant to be, and would like to believe they understood it all along. On the night they broke it off with a nice complementary player and added the cornerstone of a new era of championship contention, they were bouncing off the walls, right?
“This might have been one of the most difficult nights in Spurs history, as long as we’ve been here,” (general manager R.C.) Buford said. “To lose a player like George Hill, who has meant so much to our team, to our culture, to our locker room … it’s one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make.” — San Antonio ExpressNews, June 24, 2011
It’s understandable, of course, that those who had such an emotional stake in the proceedings might have had the most clarity as to what had happened. For that, you need to find experts in the field, far enough away to understand the big-picture ramifications of the deal.
Yes, Hill was an established veteran and a known quantity. Sure, Leonard (and Davis Bertans, the second-rounder in the trade) were mainly anonymous to those who didn’t follow basketball closely. But analysts in the know — the kind who give out grades immediately following a draft — probably realized what the Spurs were trying to accomplish that night.
“Pacers: A+ … (The) Pacers didn’t need any draft picks. What they needed was an outside presence and got it in George Hill. Spurs: B … Wanted to give a ‘D’ here, but deferred to the brilliance of the Spurs. Trading Hill is a steep price.” — The Oklahoman, June 26, 2011
“Pacers: A+ … (The) Pacers somehow leveraged a pick in a weak draft into a legitimate player.
The trade for George Hill is a perfect fit, not only because of his Indiana roots but also because he is a tough, talented, two-way player on a team that is building such an identity. The Spurs clearly realized that unloading Richard Jefferson’s contract was nearly impossible, meaning Leonard will have time to grow into the small forward position there. But the Pacers were looking for serious upgrades now and found it in Hill.” — Sports Illustrated, June 24, 2011
Still, there are some insiders who admit they didn’t know how this would turn out. Some of them say the only reason the trade happened in the first place was because Hill was entering the final year of his contract, and the Spurs knew extending his deal would push them past the luxury-tax threshold.
And, considering that the Spurs had just suffered a humbling first-round playoff loss to Memphis, some even recall the team was “desperate” and that the “vultures were circling around (its) roster.”
That specific memory came from none other than the Spurs’ general manager.
Said Buford: “Everybody’s an expert after the fact. The last thing we want to do is act like we’re smarter than everybody. (But) from a cultural standpoint, from a need standpoint, I’m not sure we could have found a better fit than Kawhi.” — San Antonio Express-News, Nov. 9, 2015
And as Leonard darkened the Fieldhouse door this week, it’s worth noting how much could be different.
Including the memories of people who knew they were right all along.