As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for the start of free agency, they also are reportedly engaged in trade talks with the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard. The disgruntled forward requested earlier this month that he be traded, with the Lakers identified as the preferred destination.
The Spurs initially turned the Lakers away but the two sides were recently said to have held more productive trade talks. Additionally, San Antonio reportedly is ready to part with the 26-year-old, which is a reversal from their first message of wanting to repair the relationship.
As speculation of a potential trade between the Lakers and Spurs heated up, Brandon Ingram was mentioned as a desired cornerstone of the haul it would require to land Leonard.
Although that may hold true, the Lakers haven’t offered Ingram in a trade for Leonard or any other deal, according to Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times:
A small update on where things stand with the Lakers and trade talks. A league source tells me that so far the Lakers haven't offered Brandon Ingram in any deals.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) June 29, 2018
It’s worth nothing Los Angeles could have discussed the prospect of including Ingram in trade without formally including him in an offer. That’s not to suggest it’s unfathomable that Ingram would eventually be offered in a trade.
The Lakers reportedly are using last summer’s trades or Kyrie Irving and Paul George as their baseline to build a package for Leonard. However, the Spurs are believed to want more than what the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers received, because of the LeBron James factor.
One report suggested the Lakers trading for Leonard would lead to James signing, but it was later downplayed. Meanwhile, Leonard reportedly spoke with James to express his desire of becoming teammates.
It’s unclear if the theoretical scenario was with the Lakers or another team.
Medium Large is looking to add motivated individuals with big dreams and a big appetite for success to our LakersNation.com direct sales team based in Los Angeles or Orange County. If you love sports, know digital sales, and can throw your weight behind an aggressive commission based opportunity than we would love to talk to you. Please apply at: http://mediumlarge.la/?jobs=1576. If you meet our criteria we will be in touch!
