Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers makes more sense than to the Lakers

Kawhi Leonard’s rocky relationship with the San Antonio Spurs seems to be coming to an end, prompting both LA teams, the Clippers and Lakers, to be rumored destinations.

Things are not going good in San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard. Having missed nearly an entire year, Leonard’s relationship with the Spurs has been questioned. These tensions were raised in Ramona Shelburne and Michael Wright’s latest article for ESPN. Now, the chance that Leonard plays for the Los Angeles Clippers or Lakers next season is greater than it is for the Spurs.

The latter may be the more popular destination, however, the former is just an intriguing. Both Los Angeles teams are at a bit of a crossroads; one on the way up towards contention, the other seemingly on the way down towards mediocrity.

The Clippers are seemingly in a much worse state without Chris Paul or Blake Griffin. The Lakers are on the way up with a young core consisting of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma.

And while all common knowledge points to the Lakers having the better chance at Kawhi Leonard, that should not be the case. In fact, despite seeming to be on a downward trend, the Los Angeles Clippers make more sense for Kawhi Leonard.

Let me explain.

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First and foremost, Leonard is obviously going to want to play on either LA team. He is a LA native. And while the Clippers may not be as polarizing as the Lakers, Leonard would be coming home to suit up in the Staples Center.

However, more importantly, is the trades that the two teams can offer the San Antonio Spurs.

The Los Angeles Lakers would likely have to trade Bradon Ingram or Kyle Kuzma, or both. They have no real draft picks to trade away and no in-between role players. This deal would require Luol Deng, which forces the team to trade one young star.

The Clippers, on the other hand, have multiple trade chips, as well as two early draft picks in the draft. Tobias Harris, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker and Austin Rivers are all possible trade chips. Los Angeles also has the 12th and 13th best picks in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Packing an array of the talent mentioned above with the two picks for Leonard and the Spurs’ pick makes more sense than trading away Brandon Ingram.

The Clippers finally get their identity and if all is well can sign Leonard and DeAndre Jordan to extensions. If it does not go well, at least the Clippers get to start the rebuild without giving up future assets.

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As for the Lakers, they would be giving up a very important piece of the youth movement on the team. While Leonard is intriguing, he is not worth that for the Lakers. However, he is more than worth it for the Clippers.

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