Could Kawhi Leonard be the bait that helps the Lakers land LeBron James?
The LA-Bron noise was already getting louder by the day.
When LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers were swept in the NBA Finals, and when seemingly everyone with any insight on his forthcoming free agency made it clear that the prospect of him remaining in his home state was grim, the smart play was to analyze his situation through the Los Angeles Lakers lens. But Friday's revelation that Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio, as reported simultaneously by the San Antonio Express-News, Yahoo and ESPN, will take that conversation to an entirely different decibel level.
If LeBron is going to head for LA, to relocate his family to the place where his business empire is already headquartered and where he could be seen as the savior of a fallen franchise, then he needs the kind of superstar help that would justify this kind of move. It’s unclear if Paul George will be that guy, as the fellow free-agent-to-be has been sending all sorts of signals that he might re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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James’ best friend, Chris Paul, is also set to be a free agent, but he is widely expected to remain with James Harden in Houston while trying to convince James to come their way. But the Lakers landing Leonard, who grew up outside of Los Angeles in Moreno Valley, Calif., attended San Diego State and has long been known to be intrigued with the idea of playing for his hometown team, is their best chance yet at making their situation all the more appealing.
Then again, maybe it's the "other" Los Angeles team that winds up trading for Leonard. As USA TODAY Sports reported in mid-April, the Clippers have been hoping for this very moment to arrive and are expected to make a hard push to land Leonard. They have the No. 12 and No. 13 picks in Thursday's draft, and could put together the kind of package that allows the Spurs to infuse their roster with a combination of high-end prospects and veterans. The Boston Celtics are also expected to make a strong push.
A quick review for anyone who might have forgotten about Leonard’s hoops prowess: Before his quadriceps tendinopathy injury cost him 73 regular season games and all five playoff games, and before the divide between Leonard and the Spurs inspired him to make it clear that he wants out, Leonard was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who finished third in MVP voting behind Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the 2016-17 season.
Leonard, the 26-year-old who will be a free agent in the summer of 2019, has the kind of hoops gravitas required to compel James to head for the Lakers. The only question now is whether or not Leonard can get there first.
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