Many believe that the time of Kawhi Leonard with the San Antonio Spurs is nearing its unfortunate end. There were already reports linking him to bigger market teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and the Philadelphia 76ers.

It would be exciting to see this happen, with Kawhi Leonard donning the purple and gold of his hometown squad. Or him tearing it up in the NBA's Eastern Conference with the Knicks or Sixers. As the offseason approaches, more organizations in the league are getting connected to Leonard. One of them is a squad from the West in dire need of another star player that could help turn the tables around.

The Klaw in the desert?

A report by Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports explored the idea of the Phoenix Suns trading for Kawhi Leonard. According to Olson, the Suns may begin their negotiation with the San Antonio Spurs by offering Josh Jackson and an unprotected first-round draft pick.

It would be interesting to see Kawhi Leonard teaming up with Devin Booker and attempting to lead the Suns past the regular season. The last time Phoenix appeared in the playoffs was in the 2009-10 NBA season. During that campaign, they were led by Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudamire, and Grant Hill to the Western Conference Finals only to succumb to the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.

A healthy Kawhi can undoubtedly lift the Suns and transform them into contenders once more.

His potential duo with Booker has the potential to challenge the Golden State Warriors' dominance in the West.

However, Olson mentioned that if in any way the Suns succeed in acquiring Leonard, the future is uncertain. The reason for this is the 2014 NBA Finals MVP's current contract. He is signed until the 2019-20 season, though he has a player option for 2019.

It will allow him to leave after just one year in Phoenix to join either the Los Angeles Lakers, or any franchise that can help him capture another Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The question now is, should the Phoenix Suns go for it? Having Leonard is guaranteed to speed up the rebuilding process. But is that enough for them to gamble and deal with the possibility that he could walk away following a season?

What it takes

If the Phoenix Suns perform beyond expectations with Kawhi Leonard on the roster, then they may have a shot at keeping him for the long-term. Should they make it to the postseason and survive either the first or second round, the 26-year-old might decide to stay and see where this unit could take him.