I asked if there is any way possible the Blazers could get him. I wasn't asking for an opinion. Is "NO" an opinion, or a fact?
Fact. 1. Kawhi has to want to come here. 2. We have no space to sign him. 3. If we somehow end up convincing him to want to come here, we have to shed salary to even be able to execute a sign and trade. 4. If all this happens, we have to then convince Toronto to actually take the pieces we want to give them. So, a simple "No" covers it.
How much salary would Blazers need to shed? #2 obviously is the need for a sign and trade. Seems like "no" is an opinion. Meyers Leonard on an expiring contract does not seem a bad deal for some team who need outside shooting (Lakers for example). The Lakers are way under the cap for next season. Lebron likes bigs who can shoot threes.
It's not happening. There is really no way.... don't waste your time. Also, you think NO would actually trade CJ?
Jesus. is it that hard to stick to facts? I'm really not asking for opinions. But, OK. here are some reasons why Kawhi might consider Portland: They have stability with their GM and coach, and just made it to the Western Conference Finals without their 2nd best/at times best player (Jusuf Nurkic) where they faced his nemesis, the Golden State Warriors. They have a great culture, a great team leader and a "players coach". Their huge gap is at small forward. Their leader is almost the same age (1 year older), and doesn't mind being the face of the franchise and taking the heat. Kawhi could be Neal Peart (fan-phobic) if he wanted to in Portland. He is actually the team in Toronto. What are his alternatives if he wants to leave Toronto? If he went the Clippers, he'd be the team once again. Far and away the best player. Who wants to interview their role players? The only better alternative would be the Lakers or join another superstar somewhere else. That's an opinion.
It seems like you want someone to say, "yes"... Sure there may be some way that it happens, but it's not going too...
Unfortunately the whole "Kawhi wants to come here" is the problem. I'm pretty sure Portland isn't on his radar.
I don't know he'll leave Toronto. I'm not assuming he will. I only want to know if it's possible for the Trail Blazes to get him.
It's not hard to stick to facts. You're the one who seems to have issues with the answer. It's also not hard to do a little research on your own... http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q92 For the 2019-2020 season the apron will likely be ~$138M. Portland is projected to have ~ $126M already on the books. Kawhi's new contract will likely be ~$33M (30% of the $109M cap). Portland would have to clear ~$25M (ie- CJ) to complete the trade (allowing some room to fill out the rest of the roster). Portland would only be left with minimum contracts that they can give out to stay under the apron (which means no Kanter, no Hood, no Aminu, no Curry, etc). Seriously!
If I were him, I would go to the Clippers in a heartbeat if KD is goes there too. The selling point is putting an end to both Lebron and the Warrior juggernaut. That would be a hell of a collection of basketball talent in California.
Of course I would be trading CJ. Which one of Hood, Kanter, Curry and Aminu are you thinking is back in any case? I assumed the Blazers right now have nothing to offer. They simply cannot give a Meyers/Turner-like boondoggle contract to Aminu.
