In the past 24 hours, trade talks have heated up yet again surrounding Spurs star Kawhi Leonard. The Lakers have been aggressive in their pursuit for Leonard after he pinned them as his top destination when he originally requested the trade. One of the dominoes that could fall if the trade goes down is LeBron James coming to Los Angeles. It has even been reported landing Leonard would ‘clinch’ a signing of LeBron James.
But, according to Stephen A Smith of ESPN, Kawhi Leonard may not be so open to the idea of playing with LeBron James.
“I’m hearing that Kawhi Leonard isn’t that enamored with the thought of coming to L.A. with LeBron,” said Stephen A. Smith. “Not because of LeBron himself the person or the basketball player, but because of the paparazzi like atmosphere he will ultimately create in L.A. Kawhi ain’t built that way. Kawhi is not the type of player that wants to be a part of all that.”
It’s ironic that Kawhi Leonard wouldn’t want any shine or glamor, seeing as how he wants to be in Los Angeles. If Kawhi Leonard ends up there he will already get all the superstar attention anyway. When healthy, Leonard is a top five player in the world and was the youngest NBA Finals MVP ever when he beat LeBron James. Stephen A also notes, this could be a smokescreen from the Clippers who are hellbent on getting Leonard.
“Now obviously this could all be a smokescreen. It could be the Clippers leaking stuff out there to the masses hoping somebody grabs hold of it and just puts it out there without acknowledging the fact that the Clippers could be putting this out there because in their perfect world, they want people to believe they have a chance for Kawhi Leonard.”
The Clippers have always played ‘little brother’ or second-fiddle to the Lakers the entire life of the franchise. The Clippers have cleared a lot of cap space in recent years to reboot the order of the franchise. One of the top bullets on their free-agency/trade wishlist is Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has always given off the vibe he likes to remain lowkey, but he had that around him as a Spur.
Even if Leonard doesn’t become a Laker now, Boston is likely second on the trade list due to their assets. Although, the Celtics have remained cautious about Leonard due to his unclear future. If Boston decides to pull the trigger on Leonard and ships out a lot of cargo, Boston will expect a title — and the pressure is on anyway.
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