NBA Trade Rumors: Kawhi Leonard Wants To Join Lakers

[TheGreatYacht]

Lol listing what the Spurs put on the injury report ^

Funny how Aldridge injured something whenever a lottery team came to town

[baseline bum]

In all honesty I would trade Kawhi and Gasol to L.A for Randle, Kuzma, and Ingram only.

No way I want any part of Randle. He's a free agent and would have the leverage to negotiate a near max, if not max salary in exchange for doing the sign and trade. Absolutely no way Julian is worth that kind of money.

[lmbebo]

Don't want randle. Not much on the Lakers I do want or value. I would take a trade based around Ingram, But I'd want multiple lottery picks now and in the the future. Something Lakers cannot offer.

[CGD]

Who wants to be the team to pay randle?? No!

[DaBears]

Here's what Bill Plaschke of the LA Times says:


http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers...419-story.html

It's time for the Lakers to make a big move — for Kawhi Leonard

By BILL PLASCHKE
APR 19, 2018 | 7:15 PM

The action is bonkers, the drama is breathtaking, the nightly spectacle is the most magical stretch in sports.

It's the King versus mortality, the Beard versus doubt, the Dubs versus the world.

Yet one of most intriguing subplots of these NBA playoffs involves two parties who have been watching from afar.

Two fallen champions with their noses pressed against the glass. Two former greats dreaming of future vindication. Two troubled souls who, while standing alongside each other, should realize they need each other.

The Lakers and Kawhi Leonard.

The Lakers are watching because they're a team without a superstar. Leonard is watching because he's a superstar apparently without a team.

Sounds like a perfect fit to me.

The Lakers need to begin working a trade for the estranged San Antonio Spurs forward. They need to start it now. It makes too much sense. It checks too many boxes.

Leonard would be coming home. He would be leaving a place that no longer seems like his home. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka promised they would build a championship-contending roster. This would be the first step toward fulfilling that promise.

The Lakers would have to give up one or two of their core young players to make the deal. Brandon Ingram or Kyle Kuzma would have to go. Maybe both. Their late first-round draft pick would also disappear.

But in exchange, the Lakers would not only add one of the top five players in the league, but Leonard's presence would be enough to attract another foundation piece in Paul George, or maybe even help them land the whale that is LeBron James. Plus, with enough economic gymnastics, it could also give them the salary cap flexibility to keep potential free agent Julius Randle.

Would you trade Ingram and Kuzma and a No. 25 draft pick for Leonard, George and Randle? Thought so.

Watching the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year should increase the Lakers' sense of urgency. Knowing that they improved by nine wins this season and still finished in the league's bottom third should heighten Johnson's and Pelinka's sense of responsibility.

"We're going to be a major player next summer,'' Johnson said last June.

This would be how that looks.

"We're going to deliver on Jeanie's [Buss] challenge to us all to make the Lakers the greatest sports franchise in the world — that will happen,'' said Pelinka last March.

This would be how that happens.

In his season-ending news conference last week, Pelinka suddenly hedged his bets on free agent salvation, saying, "I don't look at July of 2018 as the litmus test of success.''

This trade would help fix the Lakers before the uncertainty of that James and George courtship.

"We want guys who are mentally tough, gym rats, guys who love the game,'' Johnson said last June. "We want guys with no baggage. We want winners.''

Kawhi Leonard is all of that.

The 26-year-old former Riverside King High star is perhaps the league's quietest great player, the essence of a gym rat with no baggage, the 2014 Finals MVP, twice an All-NBA first-team selection, twice defensive player of the year.

Things turned bad for him this season when he played only nine games for the Spurs while rehabilitating a right quadriceps injury that led members of the organization, including teammates, to subtly question his toughness.

Leonard has been rehabbing under the direction of his own doctors in New York in recent weeks and has not been with the team during the Spurs' first-round series against Golden State. When recently asked whether he expected Leonard to return before the end of the playoffs, coach Gregg Popovich said, "You'll have to ask Kawhi and his group that question. So far, they say he's not ready to go.''

His group? Aren't the Spurs supposed to be his group? It's clear that trust between Leonard and the Spurs has been broken, and it seems unlikely that Leonard would want to stay in San Antonio when his contract expires next season. That would leave the Spurs with the mandate to trade him before losing him for nothing.

He would not be a rental here. The Lakers would not make the trade if they didn't think he would sign a long-term deal. All indications are that he would.

The Lakers could have made this same sort of trade last summer, after George disengaged with the Indiana Pacers by saying he wanted to be a Laker. But the Pacers shipped him out to Oklahoma City. The Lakers need to make sure San Antonio gets their best shot before this happens again.

The biggest stumbling block to this deal would obviously be the fear that the Lakers would be giving up too much. Though it seems the Spurs would not want Lonzo Ball and all of his drama, they would embrace potential All-Stars Ingram and Kuzma. Are the Lakers willing to face some angry fans with their departure?

It seems as though they are. When asked last week if he would consider trading a player from the team's young core of stars, Johnson cut off the question with, "We are not going to talk about that.''

Johnson offered no follow-up guarantees about any of the young stars. Apparently, though he doesn't want to discuss personnel moves, he is certainly open to making one.

"One thing about me is, I'm a risk-taker,'' said Johnson last year when he was hired.

This is that risk, and he needs to take it.

"I'm putting it all on the line,'' Johnson said then.

This would be that line, now show it.

[email protected]

[DaBears]

Lakers have no value bargaining chips on their current roster, their roster is garbage.

[tholdren]

I would actually trade Mills for LaMelo Ball or the other Ball kid just to get rid of Mills and his contract.

Youre dumb

[TheGreatYacht]

It is so cute reading posts from SA fans that think they have any sort of leverage here. Drunkford will have to take whatever crumbs the Lakers give him and that's that.

[Robz4000]

It is so cute reading posts from SA fans that think they have any sort of leverage here. Drunkford will have to take whatever crumbs the Lakers give him and that's that.

They have plenty of leverage since he's under contract next season. He either negotiates, sits out another year, or reconciles and reups with the Spurs. They have no reason to take out the Lakers' trash.

[TheGreatYacht]

yeah like how indiana took the lakers garbage for paul george (who vocally and actually did want to go to LA unlike kawhi thus far) and didnt trade him to another smallmarket franchise

Indiana got garbage for Paul George. You're smoking s if you think they ever believed Oladipo would turn out to be the player he's been this year.

[daslicer]

It is so cute reading posts from SA fans that think they have any sort of leverage here. Drunkford will have to take whatever crumbs the Lakers give him and that's that.

Spurs would never trade Kawhi to the Lakers for trash when they could easily trade him to other teams for trash. Proving again like always your are mentally re ed.

[baseline bum]

Indiana got garbage for Paul George. You're smoking s if you think they ever believed Oladipo would turn out to be the player he's been this year.

Pretty sure the Spurs could do better than paying near max to Julian even dumping Leonard off as a rental somehwere.

[BD24]

TGY has turned into such a poster

Obviously it’s all an act, as this guy used to be the biggest Kawhi hater on the site. It’s still funny to watch though

[CGD]

Oh, so Spurs fan isnt the only fan base to overvalue mediocre players. Get out of here with the “will Laker fan ever forgive Magic for letting go Kuzma” to get Leonard.

[offset formation]

TGY has turned into such a poster

Obviously it’s all an act, as this guy used to be the biggest Kawhi hater on the site. It’s still funny to watch though

Definitely top 3 worst posters. No doubt. And he claims not to even be a fan anymore. Yet here he resides day after day. Bigly sad. Bigly pathetic, IYAM.

[TD 21]

At media and fans alike still pretending the Lakers having (obvious) interest means they control this process. Even if the rumors of his wanting out and to go to L.A. are true, I don't think that would scare teams like the 76ers and Celtics. They'd likely figure, get him into a big market, with a good chance at long term championship contention and he'd likely re-sign.

Also, like I said the other day, if he forces a trade, why would the Spurs want to kowtow to him? It would be one thing if they could offer the best package or were at least out of conference, but neither is the case. Plus, they could really screw him over financially because if he's dead set on signing their, he'd lose another $43M (on top of the $36M he'd already lose by not getting the super max), by leaving his in bent team to sign elsewhere.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's still crazy to me that the Lakers have been a terrible team for 5(!!!) years not just that, but 5 years of poor teams and they didn't get a single A-level prospect out of it..

Never thought I would see that..

[Chinook]

Pretty sure the Spurs could do better than paying near max to Julian even dumping Leonard off as a rental somehwere.

What if Randle turns into the next Oladipo?

[Stabula]

It's still crazy to me that the Lakers have been a terrible team for 5(!!!) years not just that, but 5 years of poor teams and they didn't get a single A-level prospect out of it..

Never thought I would see that..

Lonzo Ball, D'Angelo Russel

[Horse]

plaschke

[phxspurfan]

I'm getting really tired of just hearing Kawhi's media-placed demands now. He really is not a Spur at all.

[offset formation]

It is so cute reading posts from SA fans that think they have any sort of leverage here. Drunkford will have to take whatever crumbs the Lakers give him and that's that.

You lead a pathetic and miserable life.

[baseline bum]

What if Randle turns into the next Oladipo?

Is that what you're expecting?

[MoSpur02]

Not sure why people are down on Randle.

[baseline bum]

I'm getting really tired of just hearing Kawhi's media-placed demands now. He really is not a Spur at all.

I don't think Plaschke has any real sources. He's like Vescey West.