The Los Angeles Lakers are connected to all sorts of trade rumors as they try to reach true contention. Could they honestly work out a trade with the crosstown rival LA Clippers to bring Kawhi Leonard to the Lakers?
There is no downplaying the animosity between Lakers and Clippers fans. The Lakers continuously disrespect the Clippers and their fans, while the Clippers have a chip on their shoulder larger than the Hollywood sign. For a brief moment, it appeared that the Clips would be gaining the advantage, but this season has been the ultimate indictment of the Clippers.
The Clippers were embroiled in controversy this summer with allegations that they circumvented league rules to pay star forward Kawhi Leonard more than his contract, and with that in the background, they have been awful on the court to start the season. While the Lakers are off to an 18-7 start, the Clippers look old and directionless down the standings at 6-20.
One option for the Clippers is to give up on the season as a lost year (they are already 4.5 games back of the UTAH JAZZ for 10th place in the West) and shop their players. Not many are likely to fetch positive value, but if the Clippers want to reset heading into the summer, no name should be sacred.
That includes Kawhi Leonard. While he is broody, embroiled in scandal and frequently injured, he remains really good when he is actually on the court. He is averaging 25 points on efficient shooting, leading the league in free-throw percentage, and is still playing solid defense. If another team could look past the warts, they could add a player who is a proven playoff performer.
Could the Lakers trade for Kawhi Leonard?
Enter the Los Angeles Lakers. Looking around at the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference, the Lakers need all of the help that they can get. They are 18-7, yes, but their underlying metrics suggest they are much closer to a mid-tier team than a great one. A trade would make a lot of sense.
What is more, this is the last season that they could take advantage of Austin Reaves' small contract number to make a win-now move. Could they possibly consider Kawhi Leonard if the Clippers are willing to trade him? It sounds crazy, but perhaps it could work. Credit to Sam Quinn of the Third Apron podcast for building out a fake trade idea that would bring Leonard to the Lakers.
Here is what the deal could look like:
The Brooklyn Nets add Knecht, the sort of off-ball player their collection of bigs and playmakers needs, and a 2032 second-round pick to take on the expiring contract of Maxi Kleber. The Clippers get expiring money in Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent, a valuable 2030 first-round swap, and do take on the multi-year contract of Jarred Vanderbilt.
It is not much positive value for the Clippers, but it does open up cap space for them this summer and gives them a valuable draft asset down the road; at this point, that's a reasonable return for Kawhi Leonard. Would they be open to trading with their LA rival? That's a different question, but let's assume for the moment that they would.
Should the Lakers trade for Kawhi?
Do the Lakers make this trade? The cost is not gargantuan; they retain their tradeable first-round pick and merely give up a swap and a second. Those matter, but they are not emptying the warchest. Hachimura and Vincent are rotation players, but they aren't irreplaceable, especially with Kawhi Leonard stepping into Hachimura's role.
The starting lineup is obviously star-ridden: Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Deandre Ayton. The offensive upside would be extreme and optimized for the playoffs when things are gummed up. Leonard can take on a larger defensive role, given the smaller offensive role he would be asked to fill.
From there, the mission would be filling out the roster as the premier buyout location. Jaxson Hayes, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart would be the playoff rotation, and hopefully someone can be picked up to fill in from there.
There would obviously be risk involved, but a safe approach isn't beating the Oklahoma City Thunder. Could a healthy Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James do that alongside Luka and Reaves? There is at least a chance. If it works out, it could really work out.
For Kawhi Leonard to win a title with the Lakers after utterly failing the Clippers? That would be the icing on the cake.