Los Angeles Lakers: Why Kawhi Leonard will never be a Laker
By Jason Reed
Despite being traded to the Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard is still heavily connected to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, that will never come to be.
The Los Angeles Lakers may have landed the biggest superstar in the NBA this summer but everyone’s eyes are still set on the moves that can be made next offseason.
After over a year of speculation, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a four-year, $154 million deal with LeBron James. James is now entering the third chapter of his career, sporting a jersey that some of the best to ever play have worn chasing those illustrious three rings.
Right now, the Los Angeles Lakers do not have the supporting cast for James to chase those rings. While the young core is very promising, it is still a few seasons away from being at full strength and being full contenders. James could have signed a short two-year deal with a team before coming to LA if he wanted to play with this core at full strength.
However, the Lakers have cap space; cap space that was increased to $41.7 million next summer after the team agreed to a buyout with Luol Deng. It is obvious the Lakers have a plan to bring in someone alongside James to dethrone the Golden State Warriors.
One of the biggest names included in the Lakers short list of potential stars is Kawhi Leonard, who has had several reports indicating his connection to the city of Los Angeles.
The Lakers could not agree on a deal with the Spurs for Leonard, who is now on the Toronto Raptors for at least one season. And while the chances of Kawhi being a Raptor long-term are small, so are the chances of him being a Laker.
Here are the three biggest reasons why Kawhi Leonard will never join the Los Angeles Lakers.