Los Angeles Should Pursue Kawhi Leonard Hard
By Pablo Jacobo
The Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to make a big splash in the free agent market this summer. Coming off back-to-back 50-loss seasons, they certainly will look to improve their fortunes heading forward. They could very well possess a top-5 pick in the upcoming draft, which could be a valuable trade piece if they choose to go that route.
Fans immediately may reject the idea of trading the highly coveted draft pick, but what if they got a young star in return? Kawhi Leonard will be a restricted free agent in the summer and the Lakers should do everything in their power to bring him to Los Angeles.
The 23-year-old is a blossoming star on the rise. In four years in the NBA he’s already won a championship, a finals MVP and this past season he received Defensive Player of the Year. He would be a perfect signing for the purple-and-gold.
But how do the Lakers convince Leonard to leave a well-established franchise like the San Antonio Spurs? The Spurs have won five titles in the last 16 years.
The defending champion Spurs were bounced from the playoffs on Saturday. An uncertain future will surround San Antonio as ten players will be free agents. Head Coach Greg Popovich could elect to retire, Tim Duncan (39) and Manu Ginobili (37) may call it quits as age is starting to catch up with the future Hall-of-Famers and the soon-to-be 33-year-old Tony Parker can’t seem to stay healthy. Leonard could decide to move on.
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The Lakers should offer the LA-born product a max contract immediately on July 1 and put San Antonio in a tough position to match the offer. I say tough because the Spurs rarely overpay for their stars. I would be shocked if San Antonio didn’t sign the small forward to a huge deal especially with the futures of the veteran stars up in the air. Then again, the Spurs would simply build around Leonard and add another star to pair with him. That should not deter the Lakers from pressing for Leonard.
Let’s say Leonard doesn’t want to re-sign and decides to move on. The Lakers will have plenty of money to spend on him and will more than likely have a high draft pick which could entice the Spurs to let Leonard go. Wouldn’t you swap the top-5 pick for Leonard?
Kawhi averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals in the 2014-15 season. Not max-type numbers but his impact on the court goes well beyond numbers. He’s a champion. He’s arguably the best on-ball perimeter defender in the game. In each of his four years in the NBA, he’s gotten better in every facet of his game. He would be a game changer for the Lakers.
At such a young age, he’s accumulated loads of playoff experience (65 games). His list of accolades in his young career on top of DPOY and Finals MVP (2014) include being named to the All-rookie first team (2012) and the All-defensive second team (2014). For a team in dire need of a franchise-altering star and a defensive specialist on the wing, Leonard fits the bill.
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Leonard is a multi-faceted player. He’s an efficient scorer (49.6) and could put the ball in the basket in many different ways. He could extend to the three-point line (36.8), attack the basket and has a solid mid-range. Every year his offensive game gets better. His defense would do wonders for the Lakers as they were ranked near the bottom of the NBA. An aging 36-year-old Kobe Bryant cannot guard the opposing team’s best player anymore. Leonard would neutralize the opposition’s best player and would free up Bryant. His steals and rebounding numbers have gone up every year.
The 6-foot-7 forward has quietly become a leader for the Spurs. Since last season’s championship run, Leonard averaged 17 points and six boards in the series against LeBron James’ Miami Heat. He went toe-to-toe with James in that series and scored 23-plus points in the final three games of the 2014 NBA Finals in which the Spurs won 4-1. This last series against the Clippers, he was the total offense. When he struggled, the Spurs lost. Additionally the Spurs put the ball in Kawhi’s hands during the final seconds of the game seven loss. The confidence of the Spurs to put their playoff hopes in his hands. Unfortunately for him, they lost to a miraculous shot by Chris Paul.
The Lakers are building a solid young team for the future. A returning Julius Randle paired with an emerging Jordan Clarkson is a nice foundation to build on. Role players like Jabari Brown, Ed Davis, Tarik Black and Ryan Kelly are nice compliments to the roster.
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Keep in mind, the salary cap will increase after the 2015-16 season which will offer the Lakers another opportunity to bring in another star or two to the mix. Bryant’s bloated contract will be off the books by then. Kevin Durant will potentially be available during that free agency period. Kevin Love if he decides to stick around for one more year in Cleveland could be had. These are hypothetical scenarios but what else do the Lakers have to look forward to?
Hope.
It will be a monumental coup for the Lakers to acquire a player of Leonard’s caliber. Should they mortgage their future once again for a player that has not played a full season in his NBA career? At this point, beggars can’t be choosers. Leonard is gamer who could change the course of the Lakers future for the greater good. According to Kevin Ding, the Lakers are ready to spend now. They should spend wisely and I think Leonard is the right choice for team going forward.