PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly preparing to make big changes to their roster, including an attempt to acquire Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard in a trade and Cleveland Cavaliers' Lebron James in free agency.
According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eastern Conference team has approximately $25 million in cap space to acquire top-tier players in free agency. James is at the top of their list, according to the report.
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“I think the bar is very high for us in terms of who we are going to put on this team,” Sixers co-managing partner Josh Harris told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “But on the other hand, for a certain small number of players, like we are going to go after them hard."
Harris added that he has "no problem" spending money for good players, referring to the possibility of a luxury tax.
The report comes amid rumors Leonard's relationship with the Spurs organization is strained. Leonard has spent majority of the season away from the team while rehabbing an injury to his right quadriceps.
According to Pompey, Leonard has a "great relationship" with Sixers coach Brett Brown, but "trading for him would be risky without first getting a guarantee that he’ll agree to a contract extension."
In terms of trade scenarios, the Sixers could offer Markelle Fultz, who was drafted first overall by the Sixers in 2017, along with Dario Saric and a lottery pick. KSAT's Spurs writer, RJ Marquez, categorized that trade scenario as "pennies to dollars."
As would every other #NBA team...but at least #Sixers could offer Fultz, Saric and a lottery pick (likely 10)...still pennies to dollars for Kawhi Leonard...#Spurs https://t.co/72ZIgbpCyx
— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) May 14, 2018
Leonard is eligible for a $219 million "super-max" deal with the Spurs. He will be a free agent in July 2019.