NBA
With free agency just days away, the Los Angeles Lakers are feeling the pressure to land star power this summer. As pretty much everyone knows, LeBron James and Paul George are the Lakers main targets in free agency. They’re also looking to acquire San Antonio Spurs star forward, Kawhi Leonard, who reportedly requested a trade.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the initial trade discussions between the teams went nowhere, as the Spurs reportedly “shut the door” on the Lakers. She also reported Wednesday evening the Lakers re-engaged the Spurs in Leonard trade discussions which isn’t surprising.
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
Los Angeles know in order to increase their odds of landing LeBron James, trading for Leonard will help. The question now is- What will they have to give up for Leonard? The Spurs are likely to want Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma in any trade package that’s offered. They’ll also likely want Josh Hart, future first round picks, and Julius Randle to get the deal done.
No one can blame the Spurs for wanting a hefty return for Leonard, who’s a top-five player in the NBA when healthy. They also know the longer they wait to move him, they won’t get close to the return in a deal they’re seeking. As for the Lakers, they can afford to be patient because they know the Spurs don’t have much leverage.
Teams like the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, who the Spurs would prefer to deal with, aren’t going to give up significant assets due to Leonard wanting to be in LA. The Lakers would love to have Leonard on their roster before free agency begins, which will make them appealing for star players.
The ball is definitely now in the Spurs court. They know the Lakers are the aggressors in this situation. The only question now is- Are they really ready to make a deal?
