NBA 2018 Rumors: Rumblings About Kawhi Leonard Going to the Los Angeles Lakers Are Not Going Away Anytime Soon
Latest rumors hinting that the Lakers 'know' they can bring Leonard to the team
Things were supposed to be simple between the San Antonio Spurs and Kawhi Leonard.
The Spurs, arguably the NBA's model franchise for the past 20 years, will build around Leonard and the forward will then enjoy a career similar to the one future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan had.
From the outside looking in, that certainly seemed to be the Spurs plan, and given the way Leonard played during the 2016–17 season, it seemed like a pretty good one.
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In Leonard, the Spurs had one of the league's true superstars and given that he's still in his mid-20s, the franchise could look forward to building around him for a long time.
Of course, things have a way of changing dramatically in the NBA, and even the Spurs' best-laid plans may now be in jeopardy.
Leonard hardly played for the Spurs this past season, and he was also not with the team for their playoff run.
For much of the season, there were rumblings of tension growing between the two sides, and it's possible that everything could boil over this offseason, culminating with Leonard with leaving the team.
While the belief held by many around the league currently is that the Spurs are still invested in Leonard and want to do everything they can to salvage this working relationship, there are rumors hinting that this may end sooner rather than later.
Speaking to Bleacher Report's Ken Berger, an anonymous Western Conference executive said that the relationship between the two sides cannot be fully repaired simply because "Kawhi wants out."
So, where will Leonard go if he "wants out" of San Antonio?
Well, there are rumors about that, too; and according to a Western Conference executive (unclear if it's the same one), the Lakers "know they can get Kawhi."
The rumors of Leonard being Los Angeles-bound are not really new, although they seem to be getting more attention lately not just because of the Bleacher Report article linked to above but also because of a new video making the rounds online.
Spotted by The Ringer, a video posted by Twitter user @Mike_delaPena shows that Leonard was in attendance at a recent Los Angeles Dodgers game.
Given the way his 2017–18 played out, Leonard is likely eyeing a shot at redemption, at showing that he's still one of the best players in the league and that he should be a bigger name than he already is.
The question now though is: where does Leonard want to pen that redemption story from?
Will he return to San Antonio, patch things up with his teammates and coaches and help lead the team back to contention or are his eyes set on a move to Los Angeles where he can be the leading man for the next great Lakers team?
Only Leonard is aware of what he truly wants to happen over the coming months, but the one thing that NBA fans can rely on is that there will be more and more rumors about the forward going to the Lakers spilling out until this whole situation is finally resolved.
