The Los Angeles Lakers could sign Kawhi Leonard as a free agent in 2019, but here are four reasons they should trade for him now.
It isn’t every day when an NBA team, even a storied one like the Los Angeles Lakers, has an opportunity to acquire a player like Kawhi Leonard. The purple and gold have been starving for a true superstar for several years now, and it is starting to look like the Lakers have put themselves in position to snatch one up in the near future.
Thanks to a restructured front office led by the likes of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka, strong draft picks over the last few years and good old-fashioned patience, the Lakers may finally have a way to get out of the wilderness after five straight years of missing the playoffs.
It’s no secret that Kawhi Leonard is at odds with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and the rest of the organization. The details are murky, but it appears that at least some of the beef has to do with a discrepancy between how Leonard has been seeking medical advice for his leg injury, and how the Spurs front office has wanted him to do so.
Now, rumors are circulating that Leonard’s camp is pushing for him to be traded to a big market team. One of those big market teams being mentioned is the Lakers.
The fact that Leonard can opt out of his current contract and become a free agent in 2019 makes this more complicated. The Lakers were in a similar situation a year ago when Paul George was available, and they watched him get traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for what, at the time, seemed like peanuts.
This time, if Kawhi Leonard is indeed available via trade, the Lakers must pursue him. Here are a few reasons why.
1. Kawhi Leonard is a legit superstar
In the 2016-17 season, Leonard averaged 25.5 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He shot 48.5 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range.
This is definitely franchise player material. He finished third in the regular season MVP race, and with the retirement of Tim Duncan and decline of Tony Parker, he became the unquestioned leader and go-to guy of his team.
The San Antonio Spurs won 61 games that season. Leonard helped them build a 23 point lead in the third quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors before Leonard went down with an injury. Had it not been for Leonard landing on Zaza Pachulia‘s foot after shooting a jumper, you could make a strong argument that the Spurs would’ve at least had a real chance of beating the Warriors and advancing to the championship series.
Leonard is one of the few superstars in the NBA who also excels on the defensive end. He was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year for both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
His athletic 6-foot-7 and 230-pound frame give him the physical tools to guard more than one position and match up with the likes of Lebron James and Kevin Durant. It also doesn’t hurt that Leonard was the MVP of the championship series the last time the Spurs won it all in 2014.
2. The Lakers need a superstar like Kawhi Leonard to become an elite team
Even if the Lakers acquire Paul George this summer, as many believe they will, they likely still won’t become a title contender.
George is a very good player who will instantly improve the purple and gold and possibly single-handedly make them a playoff team. However, George is not a true superstar who you can build a championship team around.
Leonard has proven that he is the type of player you can build a championship-caliber team around. His performance in the 2014 NBA Finals has also shown he can step it up under pressure when his best is needed.
Adding Leonard would give the Lakers a young upper echelon player to build and mold their young core around.
3. Kawhi Leonard is young
Most, if not all of Laker Nation is hoping the purple and gold signs, Lebron James, this summer. Although doing so, along with signing Paul George, would almost certainly make the Lakers instant title contenders, it is not an ideal situation.
That is because Lebron will turn 34 next season, and it is almost impossible to predict how many more elite seasons he has left in him. There is always the risk that a player of Lebron’s age who has the kind of mileage he has suddenly falls of the cliff, as Kobe Bryant did when he ruptured his Achilles in April 2013 at age 34.
Leonard, on the other hand, will turn 27 in late June. Assuming he has fully recovered from his quadriceps tendinopathy, or whatever type of injury he actually had, and assuming he avoids major injury the rest of the way, Leonard could provide the Lakers with at least 6-8 years of elite level play. This would give the Lakers a long championship window, and possibly the chance to not only win one title but to win multiple titles.
4. If the Lakers don’t get him, someone else will
Whenever a superstar like Leonard enters the market, you can expect just about every team to at least inquire about what it would take to get him. Although Leonard has been linked to the Lakers, there are a few other big market teams that he has been linked to.
Dennis Robertson, Leonard’s uncle, has started to exert plenty of influence on the superstar off the court and is apparently one of his biggest confidants.
Robertson lives in New Jersey, so it’s possible that the Knicks or Nets will go after him. The Sixers, with their rising young talent, are another possibility. And who’s to say that Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics won’t aggressively pursue Leonard and attempt to form another superteam? No Laker fan worth their salt would be able to stand even the thought of that happening.
Next: 5 Offseason Goals For The Lakers
No one is saying the Lakers should gut their team to get Kawhi Leonard. But they should make a concerted effort to get him at a fair enough price, assuming he is indeed healthy. Doing so while also signing Paul George would be a huge step towards returning to championship contention.