Kawhi Leonard Trade Rumors: Lakers Present Spurs with a 'Godfather' Offer
The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly made the San Antonio Spurs a "Godfather offer" for superstar forward Kawhi Leonard, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
A "Godfather offer" is generally defined as an offer so good that it can't be refused. Amick added that the offer has other teams wondering if anyone else can compete with the package L.A. has put together for the two-time All-Star.
Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News first reported two weeks ago that Leonard wanted out of San Antonio.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski later reported that Leonard favored a trade to his hometown of Los Angeles with the Lakers as his top choice.
Per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, a source said the Spurs initially rebuffed the Lakers when they first approached them about a deal for Leonard.
Shelburne, Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported Wednesday, however, that the Lakers and Spurs had reopened talks.
On Thursday, Marc Stein of the New York Times added that the Spurs are now "ready" to move on from Leonard.
The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year appeared in just nine games last season due to a quad injury.
His status was a constant topic of conversation and distraction surrounding the Spurs during a season in which they struggled at times and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors as the No. 7 seed.
The Lakers are among a handful of teams capable of offering the Spurs an impressive group of assets in exchange for Leonard.
Among the options are small forward Brandon Ingram, power forward Kyle Kuzma and point guard Lonzo Ball. L.A. can also offer its first-round pick in 2019.
Additionally, the Lakers could sign restricted free agent power forward Julius Randle and include him in the deal.
While it may cost a lot to acquire Leonard, the Lakers also have enough cap space to sign two max players, such as LeBron James and Paul George.
In fact, the Lakers are the favorites to sign James at 4-13, according to OddsShark.
Leonard is an NBA Finals MVP, and he isn't far removed from his best NBA season, as he finished third in the regular-season MVP voting in 2016-17 after averaging 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Although Leonard may cost the Lakers much of their depth, it is a reasonable price to pay if they can find a way to create a "Big Three" consisting of Leonard, James and George.
