Denver Nuggets: Three possible trades for Kawhi Leonard

SAN ANTONIO, TX - JANUARY 13: Pau Gasol #16 of the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs, and Davis Bertans #42 of the San Antonio Spurs look on against the Denver Nuggets on January 13, 2018 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)

Trade #1

Nuggets trade: Gary Harris, Wilson Chandler, Juan Hernangomez, 2018 First Round Pick(14th Overall), 2020 First Round Pick(Lottery Protected)

Spurs trade: Kawhi Leonard

As long as this trade goes down before the start of next season, Gary Harris’ contract extension won’t kick in, meaning the salaries match almost exactly. This trade is perfect for the Spurs if they would like to do a silent rebuild, similar to the Clippers approach.

They get a young wing in Gary Harris who can knock down threes and play above-average perimeter defense, and whose ceiling still hasn’t been totally established.

This allows them to stay in contention for a playoff spot with two borderline All-Stars(Harris and LaMarcus Aldridge) and gives them another young forward to develop in Hernangomez, a player who has flashed very solid perimeter shooting. They also get two first round picks to either trade for more pieces or kick start their rebuild.

A year ago, this trade wouldn’t have even been suggested, but Leonard’s trade value has hit an all-time low, and the Nuggets could get him for fairly cheap.