How Did the Pistons Beat the Lakers in 2004? | Mailbag

In this edition of Mailbag, I investigate what a fair trade for Kawhi would be, how the Pistons beat the Lakers in the Finals, and if CP3 would’ve gotten a ring with Kobe.

Ya know that GQ series called “X Goes Undercover” on YouTube where celebrities and pro athletes answer questions they find on sites like Quora or Reddit? 

This article is like that.

It’s one of my favourite series to watch and I wanted to try something like it because it’s fun to answer random basketball questions.

So, here are some interesting ones I found on Quora that I’m going to investigate:

What would be a fair trade for Kawhi Leonard if he were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers (hypothetical)?

If the Los Angeles Lakers were to trade for the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, they will have to give up quite a bit.

Even though he is coming off of a major injury and is currently running through his load management regimen, Leonard is still one of the best players in the league right now.

He can still play and put up good numbers. But his presence will be most valuable during the playoffs when he’s fully recovered (health and skill).

This was what happened in 2018-19 when the Toronto Raptors acquired him from the San Antonio Spurs and when he helped the organization win their first NBA Championship title.

He only played 9 games in 2017-18 due to injury. But when he was traded to the Raptors the following year, they brought him back slowly -played in 60 games- so that he was optimal for the post-season.

So, the Lakers are probably going to have to give up another All-Star for him. 

Most likely, Anthony Davis will be part of the trade. Probably a young guy, like Lonnie Walker IV or Kendrick Nunn, will have to be included, too. And probably a second-round pick or two will have to be added.

However, the Clippers are probably going to have to add some players to the trade as well to balance out the salary cap.

But the real question is: Is this trade worth it?