NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers Have Not ‘Shown A Sense Of Urgency’ For Kawhi Leonard Trade

Trevor Lane
3 Min Read
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers have found themselves in the middle of a number of rumors this offseason, but perhaps the more intriguing one involves San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard.

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With tensions between Leonard and the Spurs reaching irreconcilable levels, the belief is that a trade back home to Los Angeles would be a welcome change for the former Finals MVP. Meanwhile, as speculation was fly regarding Leonard, the Lakers were able to land LeBron James in free agency.

While the ultimate goal may be to pair James and Leonard on the same team, for now, it appears that James’ arrival has allowed the Lakers to be patient in their pursuit of Leonard.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast, the Lakers don’t appear to feel a sense of urgency in trading for Leonard:

“To this point in trade discussions, the Lakers have not shown a sense of urgency to make a Kawhi Leonard trade.”

Of course, the Spurs are holding out in the hope that they can extract as many assets as possible from whichever team they trade Leonard to. It would make sense for the Lakers not to appear too urgent to get a deal done otherwise they sacrifice leverage in the negotiation.

It’s a fascinating standoff, with Leonard reportedly telling non-Los Angeles teams that he won’t re-sign when he hits free agency in 2019, which lowers his trade value.

The Spurs, naturally, want top dollar for their star, and the Lakers have to weigh the benefit of sacrificing assets in order to acquire Leonard now versus the risk of waiting to sign him as a free agent in 2019.

At some point, the conflict will be resolved, and when that happens, Leonard presumably will find himself playing for a new team.

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Trevor Lane is a longtime NBA and Los Angeles Lakers fan who had the good fortune to grow up during the glory days of the Showtime Lakers, when Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the rest ruled the Great Western Forum. He has written about basketball, soccer, fantasy sports, MMA, and even pro wrestling over the course of his career, but the spectacle that is the Lakers is his true passion. He made the leap into podcasting for Lakers Nation and provides voice-over analysis for our YouTube channel. With a who's who of stars gracing the Lakers lineup over the years, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and many others, the Lakers always provide plenty to talk about. When he isn't writing or recording, Trevor can be found spending time with his wife and daughter or on the sidelines for one of the youth teams he coaches. Outside of the Lakers, Trevor is a supporter of the LA Galaxy, US Soccer, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Contact: trevor@mediumlargela.com