Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs has informed the organization that he would like to be moved to another team, ESPN reports.
Leonard, 26, has played for the Spurs for the last six years, winning a championship and the Finals MVP in 2014. Leonard is coming off a leg injury that sidelined him for 73 of the team’s 82 games this past season.
Leonard lost trust in the Spurs organization after speculation about the severity of his injury, says ESPN. He faced criticism from the organization for seeking a second opinion on his injury after being cleared to play by the team physician.
Where will Leonard go if the Spurs decide to trade him? After all, he still has two years left on his contract with San Antonio.
There are two available scenarios for the Spurs at the moment. They could keep Leonard and then offer him a maximum contract of $30 million or more in two years, or they could trade him and hope to receive promising talent in return.
I won’t go into the details of possible trades the Spurs could make, but there is one team that has sparked the interest of Leonard: the Los Angeles Lakers. An LA native, Leonard has expressed his desire to play in Los Angeles, reports Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Lakers have already created a lot of buzz this offseason, and only one week has passed since the end of the NBA Finals. ESPN has reported the Lakers’ interest and potential in also signing superstars LeBron James and Paul George.
The Lakers’ front office would have to make a few changes to the team’s roster, but just imagine if they can land all three of these all-star superstars. LA hopefuls can only pray.