The San Antonio Spurs are coming into the offseason with Kawhi Leonard as the priority in free agency and heading into the summer players like Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge could be targets for the team along with Danny Green, who is an unrestricted free agent.
The Spurs did not make it back to the finals last season, but they have as good of a roster as anyone and if they can add a top line free agent like Aldridge, they will be very hard to beat out west. According to Fox Sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks are all potential landing spots for Aldridge, as he is expected to leave the Portland Trail Blazers this summer. Conflicting reports over the past week have Aldridge informing the team that he is not returning, although the team came out to deny that.
Earlier in the season both Aldridge and Marc Gasol were mentioned as potential options for the Spurs, but as free agency gets closer it looks like Aldridge is the main target. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, Gasol is likely to stay in Memphis, while Aldridge is the player that most GMs and executives expect to change teams. Fox Sports reports that the Spurs are in the mix even with the returns of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and they could get a meeting with Aldridge this summer.
The main priority for the Spurs is to keep Kawhi Leonard moving forward, as he is set to be a restricted free agent and could garner interest from teams. According to the San Antonio Express-News, the Spurs are prepared to go "as far over the cap as necessary" to keep Leonard on a deal. Leonard is the centerpiece of the franchise moving forward in the future and over the past two years he has emerged as a budding star. Leonard won finals MVP against the Cavs and this past season he averaged a career best 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Leonard has improved in each of his season is in the NBA and now he is set to get his first big contract. The Celtics reportedly are interested in extending an offer sheet, but as it stands now, the Spurs are not letting Leonard go anywhere. Leonard is a top defender and his offensive game is coming together, making him a strong candidate to be the franchise player once Tim Duncan is gone.
The Spurs also have Danny Green hitting the market and while he may return, there is a good chance he signs elsewhere this summer. According to RealGM, Green could be looking at a contract around $8 million to $12 million this offseason and that could affect whether the Spurs keep him or not. According to the San Antonio Express-News, Green said he "hopes to re-sign" with the Spurs in the offseason and he comes in after averaging 11 points and four rebounds in 81 games last season.
