Lakers Trade Rumors: Is a Brandon Ingram for Kawhi Leonard flip worth it?
By Jason Reed
The trade:
To be fair, the San Antionio Spurs would actually be getting a pretty fair trade return for their star small forward. The problem with this, though, is the fan bases of both sides would absolutely hate this deal for different reasons.
Laker fans would likely critique this deal as they are sending away their young talent that could be a superstar for an already established superstar. Fans often clutch onto what players could become. If we are being honest, the best Brandon Ingram will ever be is on the same level as Kawhi Leonard.
Spur fans would hate this deal as well because they are trading away their MVP caliber player for guys that may not even work out. Again, it is a risk-reward. The Spurs could get another Kawhi Leonard talent, with other guys, but it is a risk.
Regardless, the Spurs are getting three great young guys, one of which has a massive ceiling. In return, the Lakers become alarmingly thin at power forward but give themselves a great outlook moving forward.
Leonard can act as that already established star to bring in other guys. Leonard alone may be enough to entice the likes of DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George or LeBron James. Then, the Lakers can fiddle with the lineup, move either George or Leonard to the two depending on who they sign, and go from there.
They can sign a solid back up power forward to play behind Kuzma or could even re-sign Randle. The possibilities are endless. If LA wants a superstar in the 2018 summer, this may be the way to go.