5. Really Outrageous/Unrealistic outcome: Get PG, James and trade for Kawhi Leonard
This outcome is just outrageous and very unrealistic but could happen at the very end. The salary cap would be key in how the Lakers tried to facilitate this.
They could get Paul George and LeBron James without doing anything. All they would need to do is let Randle become an unrestricted free agent and stretch out Luol Deng’s contract to five years and they get both George and James.
Getting Kawhi Leonard is a different story. The Lakers would need to make a trade to get the Klaw. What would the Lakers have to give up, however? The answer to that is youth.
The Lakers would presumably have to give up Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma to start. They would also most likely have to give up the 25th pick in this year’s draft once they make the selection as well as the 2019 first round pick. Josh Hart may also have to be dealt.
Should the Lakers decide that the future is now and they don’t want to wait on the youth and want to win right now, this is the way to go.
Next: Los Angeles Lakers Ultimate Guide to 2018 Offseason
Image the front-line of George, one of the best two-way players, the best player on the planet in LeBron James and when healthy, a top-five player in the league and maybe the best defensive player in the league in Kawhi Leonard playing together. That would be a nightmare for all 29 other teams to deal with.