Expect the Los Angeles Lakers to aggressively pursue San Antonio Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard, one NBA executive told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. According to the executive, the Lakers will join the chase for Leonard once the season is over and once the dust settles in San Antonio. The executive added that Leonard wants to go to Los Angeles and he has the leverage over the Spurs as he is scheduled to become a free agent in 2019. “He’s an L.A. guy and he can just let teams know he won’t re-sign next year with anyone but the Lakers,” the executive said.

The executive has a point as former NBA point guard Nate Robinson recently said in his podcast that Leonard wants out of San Antonio and plans to play in his hometown of Los Angeles.

Lakers must wait for dust to settle in San Antonio

The Lakers must wait until the dust settles as the Spurs and Leonard are trying to mend their relationship that was affected by his recovery from a quad injury. The Spurs sidelined Leonard indefinitely to rehab the quad issue that hounded him since the preseason and limited him to just nine games in the regular season. While in rehab, there were reports that Leonard was distant and disconnected from the Spurs' front office, fueling rumors that he wants out of San Antonio.

Leonard will have to think twice as he is scheduled to sign a supermax contract extension worth in excess of $200 million with the Spurs. However, the Spurs must be contemplating whether to sign Leonard to a long-term deal, especially due to his quad injury. Also, the Spurs are also looking to sign other young players like Dejounte Murray, Kyle Anderson, and Davis Bertans to long-term deals.

Aside from the Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers are also interested in acquiring Leonard. Sam Amick of USA Today reported that the Clippers will monitor Leonard’s situation in the offseason and could come up with a package for him if the Spurs are open to a trade.

Lakers still plan to pursue James, George

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Lakers remain committed to pursuing LeBron James and Paul George in the offseason.

James and George are expected to become unrestricted free agents after this season. James could leave the Cavaliers for the second time in his career and take his talent elsewhere. There were rumors that James is considering the Philadelphia 76ers and the Lakers as his next stop. George, for his part, said he’s not yet focused on free agency. The Lakers will have enough salary cap space to accommodate James and George.
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