If they are able to move on Kawhi Leonard with a package of Covington/Fultz/Pick 10 for Kawhi Leonard + spare parts. Philly would still have close to enough room to grab Lebron James with a couple of moves.
This would leave Philly with this line-up:
Ben Simmons
Kawhi Leonard
Lebron James
Dario Saric
Joel Embiid
Plus Richaun Holmes, TJ McConell + whatever spare parts they could attract via free agency (i.e. The Lebron Factor).
I thought I came across this idea originally today but did some due diligence and found this thread. TP. I'm surprised people think that's a bad haul for SA. I thought Covington + #10 alone was enough to get the deal done.
Covington is one of the elite 3 and D guys in the NBA -- a skillset the Spurs organization has coveted in their SFs for the last 20 years. He's 27 years old, entering his NBA prime, and is locked up for the next 4 years on a very team friendly contract.
If Philly has confidence that Lebron will follow, then Philly should be confident enough that Kawhi will resign to offer this package.
What other team in the NBA has a better package than this for Kawhi without the guarantee that he resigns?
Covington turns 28 a month into the season and is paid 45 million over the next 4 years. If a team is really competing and desperate for defense he can be an ok asset, but he is probably best served as a bench player. For a team like the Spurs that won't be competing the next year or two he is pretty useless and not a good use of 45 million dollars.
Covington is Jae Crowder on a bigger contract. He doesn't play as big as his size and he doesn't have the quickness to defend guards on the perimeter. He can defend wings and swing at a really high level, but his shooting is really inconsistent.
Is Jae Crowder + 10 pick enough for Leonard?
Was Jae Crowder + 8 pick enough for Irving?
Most would argue Leonard is a better player, which means you are getting a worse package for a better player.
Saric is the key to that trade. If the Spurs really like Saric (I like him, but I'm not sure how much), he might make it worth it.