NBA Rumors: Kawhi Leonard Now ‘Keeping An Eye’ On The LA Lakers
With just a few days to go until the start of the 2019 NBA free agency season, things aren’t getting any clearer for the direction of many superstars. The Anthony Davis trade, injuries to key players, and a number of other things have caused a lot of confusion and up-in-the-air decisions. Now, there isn’t as much certainty with Kawhi Leonard as there was just a week ago since he has one eye solely focused on the Los Angeles Lakers.
One week ago, The Inquisitr reported that it was likely down to just two teams in the race for the NBA Finals MVP. It seemed as if he would stay with the Toronto Raptors after one season and an NBA Championship or that he would head to Los Angeles and sign with the Clippers.
Now, there have been a number of wrenches thrown into the well-oiled machinery world of NBA rumors.
As reported by Clutch Points, Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN are reporting that the Lakers are very well in play as the team to sign Leonard. Not only are they very interested in one of the league’s best players, but Leonard and his camp have “kept their eye on the Lakers.”
In addition to the #Raptors and #Clippers, Kawhi Leonard's camp is also rumored to be keeping an eye on the #Lakers.https://t.co/A2AujPqx9x
— LakeShow (@LakeShowCP) June 26, 2019
The Lakers have numerous roster spots open which will need to be filled, as well as those that were vacated in the Anthony Davis deal. The Pelicans sent over Davis while the Lakers sent over three number one draft picks and three players in Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, and Brandon Ingram.
With the contracts of Davis and LeBron James, along with their other players on the roster, the Lakers don’t have a lot of cap space with which to work. A player such as Kawhi Leonard is going to demand a max contract from whichever team signs him, and the Lakers have some work to do if they’re going to offer that.
Well, if they’re going to be able to offer that kind of deal.
The Lakers have been working on clearing up cap space in order to get close to the $32 million needed to offer a max deal. Lakers Nation is reporting that the team is “confident” they can find ways to free up that space if an All-Star player is prepared to commit to the team.
Anthony Davis could give up a $4 million trade bonus to help free up some cash, but that remains to be seen.
Kawhi Leonard is easily one of the top free agents this summer, and rumors had him set on just one or two options. The injuries to players such as Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant have opened the doors for a few others looking to spend big money on key free agents. Leonard may have been looking at just the Clippers and Raptors, but rumors are opening up a bit now and have put the Lakers in the mix too.
