Lakers Rumors: Latest on LeBron James' Decision and Kawhi Leonard's Future
With 15 guaranteed contracts and two two-way pacts all on the 2018-19 books, the Los Angeles Lakers might be done making the kind of news that shows up in the transaction log.
But this is the NBA's most glamorous franchise. And it employs the Association's biggest star. In other words, don't expect a hoops news cycle to pass without some kind of mention of the purple and gold.
The latest entries to the rumor mill include more reactions to LeBron James' latest decision and contrasting opinions about Kawhi Leonard's future. Let's dive in.
LeBron Was Easy Signing?
James made his third free-agency decision the simplest.
The buildup was as mundane as a landscape-shifting move like this can be.
Grand recruiting pitches were eschewed in favor of intimate chats with his inner circle inside the "Decision Cave" (which sounds more interesting than it is) and a one-on-one with Magic Johnson. Rather than a TV special or detailed explanation of his exit, James was out with just a single-sentence statement.
That's led some to speculate that the Lakers' involvement in James' arrival went barely beyond opening the door.
"He wanted to come to L.A.," a Western Conference player told ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk. "They just had to not f--k it up. Jerry West just said it, and I was like, 'Finally.' He's not coming to the Lakers. He came to L.A."
West, a Lakers legend and consultant for the Los Angeles Clippers, previously minimized the Lakers' role in getting this done.
"All due respect to the Lakers, who handled everything well, but, as these things go, LeBron was not a tough free-agent signing," West told Jack McCallum for Sports Illustrated. "LeBron wanted to come to L.A. and he wanted to come to the Lakers. Period."
Both the anonymous player and West might be right. James called his move "like a dream come true" and voiced his excitement about "being able to be part of a historic franchise" in a video for UNINTERRUPTED:
But does it really matter what role the Lakers played in all this?
Whether they bent over backwards or merely provided the pen and paper for James to sign, he's a member of the purple-and-gold for at least three seasons either way. The details of his decision are far less important than the choice itself.
Kawhi's Future Up in the Air?
Last summer, the Lakers could have traded for SoCal native Paul George but opted to wait it out and hope he signed with them once his contract expired. Once free agency rolled around, though, they couldn't even get a meeting with him before he inked a four-year deal to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Might history repeat itself with Leonard, an L.A. native who, like George, indicated a desire to join the Lakers prior to being traded elsewhere ahead of his final campaign under contract?
It depends on whom you ask.
One source close to Leonard believes he'll take to the Toronto Raptors, just like George did in OKC.
"He's going to fall in love with Toronto—it's going to happen," the Leonard associate told Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "He's not going to leave, I'm telling you."
Fox Sports' Chris Broussard, though, hears Leonard will be in Los Angeles next summer—but it isn't certain on which team.
"He's going to L.A.," Broussard said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd (h/t Lakers Nation's Corey Hansford). "I would say this, Toronto could win the title, and he still would probably go to L.A.
"... I'm hearing two things. I'm hearing he's definitely going to be a Laker. And from other people, I'm hearing he's definitely going to be a Clipper. And these are people supposedly in the know. The Clippers are convinced they're getting him. They think he doesn't want to be in LeBron's shadow. And just as convinced as the Clippers are, LeBron and the Lakers...are convinced Kawhi is coming."
Clear as mud, right?
With any decision almost a full calendar year away, be wary of any report suggesting what Leonard will definitely do. He might need all of this time to make up his mind.
His suitors, then, may want to treat the upcoming season as an extended sales pitch.
The Raptors had the East's best record last season (59-23) and no longer have LeBron blocking their path out of the conference. A Finals appearance could make it difficult for Leonard to leave. For the Clippers and Lakers, the challenge is to display enough growth that he could envision himself lifting them to championship levels.
All three options are probably on the table, and there might be more. While Leonard isn't destined to follow in George's footsteps, he also isn't guaranteed to join the Lakers.
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