NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers Again Approach Spurs On Kawhi Leonard Trade, Have ‘Productive’ Call

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The San Antonio Spurs hardly blinked in the aftermath of Kawhi Leonard requesting a trade because of a fractured relationship between the two. Head coach Gregg Popovcih met with Leonard, who reportedly remained steadfast in his desire to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford explained the organization’s focus was on repairing the relationship with the 26-year-old. In the meantime, San Antonio reportedly was open to fielding trade offers from teams but weren’t actively shopping Leonard.

But in the Lakers’ case, the Spurs are said to have immediately rebuffed their initial effort to engage in trade talks for Leonard. There have since been conflicting reports on whether San Antonio would be willing to deal with Los Angeles.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers have again approached the Spurs about a potential trade for the two-time All-Star:

Per Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times, the discussions went much better than the first time around:

With free agency on the horizon, the Lakers reportedly are feeling increased pressure to complete a trade for Leonard in order to lure LeBron James. Although there may be motivation to act quickly, the Spurs don’t face such a scenario.

If they already were hesitant to trade with the Lakers, that sentiment would only further be validated if it meant also assisting their efforts to sign James. A perfect scenario for the Lakers would appear to be signing James and Paul George and trading for Leonard.

However, George may no longer be the lock to return to Southern California that he once was considered. Meanwhile, it’s now Leonard who reportedly has informed teams that he plans to sign with the Lakers or Clippers as a 2019 free agent.

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!

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com
Exit mobile version