So I don’t know what to do with this Kawhi Leonard rumor mill other than to lean into it. So let’s talk about it. The Celtics have assets and Ainge will always make the call. But what’s the offer?
But let’s say Ainge does want to strike. For salaries to match, and if the Celtics don’t want to move any of their three highest-paid players (Hayward, Irving or Al Horford), a Spurs/Celtics deal would have to look something like this:
Spurs get: Brown, Marcus Morris, Terry Rozier, Guerschon Yabusele, Abdel Nader, Semi Ojeleye and the Kings’ Top-1 protected 2019 first-round pick
Aside from Brown and maybe Rozier, the rest of that package can be seen as salary filler.