Recent Lakers rumors are that Kyle Kuzma is off the table in any potential deals with the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard.
With the start of free agency upon us, there have been plenty of Lakers rumors. The Lakers were able to start out their offseason with a home run, as they have signed LeBron James to a four-year deal.
Signing James has been a goal of the Lakers for quite some time now, and they were able to get the job done. There was some concern that the Lakers needed to have a star in place in order to sign James. However, that has turned out not to be the case, as James seemed to be alright with what the Lakers already had.
The one player that has been linked to the Lakers quite a bit is Kawhi Leonard. With a desire to play in Los Angeles, the Lakers were trying to get Kawhi from the Spurs. However, with a high asking price, no deal was done prior to James signing.
Now that they have James already, the Lakers certainly don’t have as much of a need to trade for Kawhi. On ESPN, Stephen A. Smith recently commented on the trade situation, and said that Kyle Kuzma is off the table now. Here’s what he had to say with text via LakersNation.com.
"“San Antonio is asking for the house, (but) Kyle Kuzma is off limits. They’re not willing to surrender three picks. Their mentality is that Kawhi Leonard wants to be a Laker.”"
Now that the Lakers were able to get LeBron James to sign, the desperate need to trade for Leonard in order to convince LeBron to sign is no more. Now, the Lakers have some power in these negotiations with Leonard wanting to play in Los Angeles, and their ability to sign him as a free agent next season.
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While the Lakers would surely like to pair Kawhi with James this season, they don’t need to feel the pressure they once did to do so. Since James signed, he clearly feels comfortable with where the Lakers are at currently. Getting Leonard would be great, but don’t expect the Lakers to blow up the team in order to do so.