Los Angeles Lakers: Five ways to get rid of Luol Deng this summer
By Jason Reed
This is the trade that is talked about the most. With Kawhi Leonard’s situation in San Antonio looking bleak, the chances that the Spurs trade the star forward with one year left on his deal is likely.
However, there may just be a slim chance that the Los Angeles Lakers are the team to win the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes. Head coach Gregg Popovich reportedly does not want to trade Leonard to the rivaled Lakers, despite Leonard being an LA native.
The Lakers may have the best chance to get Leonard still because of the young assets they can offer the Spurs. Brandon Ingram, in particular, is a very intriguing young forward that Popovich can build around and craft into a star. Ingram is a future all-star, and while he may never be Kawhi Leonard, he can be close.
To match the contracts and make sure this trade is possible the Lakers would have to throw in Luol Deng. Then, after trading for Leonard, the Lakers can extend him to the super-max deal while maintaining free agent cap space this summer.
Plus, by trading for Leonard, the Lakers would also be obtaining his bird rights. Making the entire situation even easier.