The Los Angeles Lakers have the chance to turn themselves into a Western Conference contender this offseason, and star Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is reportedly in their sights.
There have been rumors swirling about a fallout between Leonard and the Spurs, as he remained sidelined with an injury. And according to a recent report from Sporting News, the Lakers are prepared to go hard after a deal for the Riverside native.
Per Sporting News:
“I think they go in hard for Leonard once the season is over and once the dust settles in San Antonio,” one executive told Sporting News. “(Leonard) wants to go to LA. There probably won’t be public demands on that, but he has leverage. He is going to be a free agent (in 2019). He’s an LA guy and he can just let teams know he won’t re-sign next year with anyone but the Lakers.”
One issue for the Lakers, and a potential roadblock to a future deal, will be the obvious need to part with young assets to acquire Leonard from the Spurs. Leonard is not a free agent until 2019, requiring a trade for the Lakers to land him this summer.
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