Lakers Rumors: LA Should Pursue Kawhi Leonard Trade, Forget Signing LeBron James This Summer, ’12UP’ Suggests
The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing hard for free agency this summer, as they are hoping to sign two superstars to bolster their title chances in the next several seasons. However, it remains to be seen whether they have enough to convince max-level superstars such as LeBron James and Paul George to move to Los Angeles.
James and George will be on top of the priority list of the Lakers in free agency. However, Christopher Rosvoglou of 12UP believes that the Lakers should forget about signing James or George this summer. Instead of focusing on acquiring max-level free agents, he said that the Lakers should just reach out to the San Antonio Spurs about a possible trade for Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard has missed all but nine games of the Spurs this season, and there is still a lot of speculation about his future in San Antonio. Due to the reported tension between Leonard and the Spurs, Rosvoglou thinks the superstar forward “might be better suited playing for a different team” next season.
The 26-year-old forward, who is considered by many as the best two-way player in the league, is still out with a quad injury. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Spurs held a players-only meeting, where the status of Leonard was discussed. The meeting was reportedly “tense and emotional” after several players expressed their frustration over the tension between the Spurs and their franchise player.
Tony Parker and Danny Green denied the reports about the emotion in the team meeting, saying that the conversation was not focused on Leonard, according to Michael Wright of ESPN. Both players tried to downplay the situation, but there is still a growing speculation that Leonard will not play again this season and is expected to be a subject of trade rumors this summer.
This is the reason why Rosvoglou is convinced that the Lakers should reach out to the Spurs about a potential trade for Leonard. He said that the two-time All-Star could be the next leader the franchise needs in order to line themselves up with the elite teams in the league.
The Lakers already have Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma as their forwards of the future. However, Rosvoglou said that Leonard would still be a good fit because of the rising popularity of “positionless” basketball. Lakers head coach Luke Walton is familiar with it, having served as assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors, who are thriving with their brand of “positionless” game.
He also listed the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and Oklahoma City Thunder as ideal landing spots for Leonard. However, he believes the Lakers are in a better position to acquire the California native because they have the assets to convince the Spurs to trade their franchise superstar.
