Kawhi Leonard’s isolation from the San Antonio Spurs continues to occupy the NBA. According to a report in Sporting News, the Los Angeles Lakers will also be looking for Leonard – and he’s supposed to be going to L.A.
“I think they’ll be working hard on Leonard once the season is over,” said an anonymous front office employee. “Leonard wants to go to LA. There may not be any public demand, but he’s got leverage. He’ll be a free agent in 2019. He’s from L.A. He can let other teams know he’d only sign a new contract with the Lakers.”
Although Leonard and the Spurs have diverged in recent months, the franchise is expected to present a so-called Supermax deal to the 2014 final MVP in the summer – he could earn around 220 million dollars over 5 years. Nevertheless, many assume that he would not stay with the Spurs even then.
The Lakers are supposed to be the long-term favorite. “He will be their target, either this summer or the one after,” another Front Office employee said. “The only explanation for this situation is that Leonard is trying to get away from San Antonio.”
The Lakers are considered one of the most interesting teams this summer as they are one of the few teams to have cap space. They are also said to be after the nascent free agents LeBron James and Paul George.