Recent Lakers rumors have been about Kawhi Leonard wanting out of San Antonio. Would the Spurs be interested in Lonzo Ball?
As we get closer to the start of NBA free agency, there have been a lot of Lakers rumors about who they will be pursuing. However, the recent reports that Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio could make this offseason even more interesting.
Even though Leonard barely played last season due to injuries, he is arguably the best two-way player in the NBA when healthy. Also at just 26-years-old, Leonard is just entering his prime as a player with an NBA Title and NBA Finals MVP award.
Recently, it was reported that Leonard does indeed want out of San Antonio, and Los Angeles is his preferred destination. Just because Leonard wants to go to Los Angeles, that doesn’t mean that the Spurs will trade him there.
The Spurs and Lakers have been pretty good rivals over the years, as Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan clashed in the playoffs quite often. For Greg Popovich to help the Lakers get Leonard, he would likely want quite the haul in return. One of the best players the Lakers would have to offer is Lonzo Ball. However, Adrian Wojnarowski said don’t hold your breath about Ball being traded to the Spurs.
Indiana had little interest in Paul George trade w/ Lakers -- and that'll be case for Spurs too. Boston gives Spurs best building blocks of assets -- one of young forwards (likely Jaylen Brown), its own 18 pick/19 protected Kings pick, etc. Lonzo to Spurs? Don't hold your breath.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2018
While Ball had a very solid rookie season for the Lakers, seeing Ball come to the Spurs with his father would be very shocking. A LaVar Ball/Popovich pairing would be hilarious, but also very unlikely.
In all likelihood, the Spurs would prefer to get Brandon Ingram and or Kyle Kuzma from the Lakers over Ball. Both have shown a bit more in the NBA, and don’t come with the baggage that Ball would.
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While the Lakers do have good assets to offer in a trade, it is hard to imagine that the Spurs would deal Leonard to the team that he wants to go to. Also, the Lakers don’t have the appealing picks that a team like Boston does currently, which could also play a factor.