Getty Meyers Leonard #11 of the Portland Trail Blazers dunks the ball against Jordan Bell #2 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game four of the NBA Western Conference Finals.
It may be close to the end of the season for the Portland Trail Blazers, but Meyers Leonard is doing everything he can to ensure it lasts at least one game longer. The 7-foot center tallied 25 points in the first half against the Warriors in Game 4 at Moda Center.
Five of his 10 made shots came from behind the arc, fueling a 69-65 lead at halftime. On the season, he has averaged just 5.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He put together a solid Game 3, as well, scoring 16 points in a 110-99 defeat.
He has only ever played for the Trail Blazers, as Portland drafted him with the No. 11 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Back in the summer of 2016, the franchise extended his contract by 4 years for a total of $41 million.
This past season, he earned $10,595,506 and is set for $11,286,517 in 2019-20. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
Meyers Leonard Trade Speculation
MEYERS LEONARD IS ON ONE! 😤
His 25 pts are his career high.
Portland is enamored with Leonard enough to extend his contract a few years ago. However, that didn’t prevent him from being a part of trade rumors last summer, particularly for Kawhi Leonard. Per NBC Sports Northwest, he was a hypothetical piece in a mega-trade for the Raptors star forward.
Option 2 – Any two-player package of Meyers Leonard/Maurice Harkless/ Al-Farouq Aminu + Picks in exchange for Kawhi Leonard.
Financially, any pairing of those three Blazers would work to get Kawhi Leonard. However, for what the Spurs would need talent wise the best package would be Aminu and Harkless. Sending away Kawhi would leave a void at small forward that both Harkless and Aminu could fill. But still, like the Turner trade, the Spurs would need more to sweeten the pot. This is where the picks come into play. This deal may be able to get done by adding two future first-round picks, but if you want to leave zero doubt you might have to add more.
Blazers get Kawhi Leonard
Spurs get Maurice Harkless, Al-Farouq Aminu, and multiple first-round picks
At the moment, Leonard is not rumored in any sort of trade talks. With a pair of double-digit scoring games in this series against the current NBA dynasty, his value could rise. Whether this makes him valuable to other teams or too expensive as a role player is yet to be seen.
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