NBA Rumors: Should the Los Angeles Lakers Trade for Kawhi Leonard Now or Wait Until He Reaches Free Agency?
Lakers reportedly have 'concerns' regarding the severity of Leonard's injury
Following months of speculation, it has finally happened. Kawhi Leonard is making it known that he wants the San Antonio Spurs to trade him.
According to league sources spoken to recently by Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News, Leonard has now made it clear that he wants to be traded.
Almost immediately, fans and analysts alike began mentioning the Los Angeles Lakers as the likely landing spot for Leonard.
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ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Leonard has the Lakers as one of his preferred trade destinations.
This sure seems like the golden opportunity the Lakers have been waiting for following years of missing the playoffs and losing a lot, but is now really the right time for them to make their move?
At this point, it seems that the Lakers are not certain about what they need to do next as well, with The Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli reporting recently that the franchise has not discussed a potential deal with the Spurs yet because of concerns about Leonard's injury. The Los Angeles Clippers are apparently thinking the same thing currently.
For the Lakers, making a move for Leonard now makes sense because they would then become the incumbent franchise heading into free agency next year, and trading for him would show just how committed they are to having him on the team long term.
On the other hand, waiting until Leonard becomes a free agent next year and trying to sign him then also makes sense for the Lakers because going that route would not require them to part with some of their talented young players in a trade, and it would also enable them to build a deeper roster around their new superstar.
In all likelihood, if the Lakers receive assurance that Leonard is completely healthy, they will attempt to trade for him this offseason, because potentially allowing him to fall in love with a different franchise may just be too risky for them.
The Lakers are set to have a big summer, and trading for Leonard could just be one of their major moves.
