NBA: Are the Sixers getting out of Kawhi-Poker?

The Philadelphia 76ers are considered one of the candidates for a trade for the dissatisfied San Antonio Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard. Apparently, the Sixers are considering breaking off talks with the Spurs.

Both teams are currently negotiating and, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s report, the Sixers are also confident that they could get Leonard to extend his contract in Philadelphia in the long term.

Leonard, however, had made it clear that he would prefer to move to Los Angeles, which is why interested teams are currently reluctant to make desperate offers. The same goes for the Sixers.

“If we have a chance of getting someone to help us move forward without incurring unacceptable costs, we do it,” Sixer’s owner Joe Harris was quoted. “But if for some reason this is not possible, then we will continue with our own program as usual.”

According to the report, the Spurs keep trying to rock up the auction by claiming that another team is making a better bid. From the Sixers, they want two players, probably Dario Saric and Robert Covington, as well as three first-round picks. The Sixers apparently do not want to pay this price at the moment and the demands from San Antonio seem to irritate them, which is why a break-off of the talks is possible.

“With everything we’ve done so far this offseason, we’re getting better and closer to our goal,” says Harris, “and this is the championship we talk about over and over again. If the right deal comes along, we’ll do it.”

The Sixers have signed rookie Zhaire Smith, Wilson Chandler (via Trade) and Nemanja Bjelica (as free agent) during the current off-season, and J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson’s contracts have been extended.