Spurs, Lakers now talking possible Kawhi Leonard deal
Kawhi Leonard reportedly has his heart set on a move to the Los Angeles Lakers. It seems the San Antonio Spurs are considering granting him that wish.
When the Los Angeles Lakers first tried to engage the San Antonio Spurs in trade talks about Kawhi Leonard they were flatly shut down. Now, it seems that the Spurs are reconsidering.
Conversations between the two teams could ultimately end up in a trade that would drastically shake up the NBA landscape.
ESPN is reporting that the Lakers are “aggressively pursuing” Leonard at this point in time. At the very least, it seems the Spurs are willing to at least hear their offers.
Gregg Popovich and company certainly aren’t happy about the position Kawhi has put them in, but they’re starting to understand that ignoring the Lakers isn’t going to make their problems go away.
The challenge is going to be agreeing to what fair value for Leonard is. His mysterious injury last season has some NBA officials very concerned that he’s no longer the same All-NBA force that he was prior to his leg issues.
Update from this morning’s story. The Lakers re-engaged the Spurs Wednesday in aggressively pursuing Kawhi Leonard. Story w/ @wojespn coming shortly on ESPN. This is the first contact between the teams since the Spurs “shut the door” on them after an initial call.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2018
The fact that Leonard is entering the last year of his current contract could also complicate trade discussions.
Lakers officials would almost definitely want Leonard to communicate a real willingness to sign a long-term agreement with the franchise before they’d be willing to commit serious assets to a trade. Given Leonard’s desire to move to L.A., that shouldn’t be a stumbling block.
If the Spurs are going to part with Leonard, they’re going to require the Lakers to part with a significant amount of their young talent. Lonzo Ball doesn’t fit the Spurs culture, but Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma do fit the prototype of players who thrive under Popovich.
They aren’t enough to finish the deal on their own, but they could serve as the foundation for a workable deal.
Next: Spurs need to get smart about Kawhi Leonard
Nothing is imminent between the Lakers and Spurs at this point, but this is a situation that could move quickly. It’s in the best interest of both parties to resolve Leonard’s status before free agency begins in earnest. This situation is worth keeping a sharp eye on before July 1 arrives.