With the San Antonio Spurs now eliminated from the postseason, the NBA trade rumors involving Kawhi Leonard seem like they'll only pick up more steam. For weeks, Leonard has been sidelined and the speculation has been running rampant about his future. While San Antonio may want to keep last year's NBA MVP candidate on the roster, they may be heading towards a tough decision with regards to parting ways with their superstar. That could potentially mean that Kawhi Leonard heads to the Los Angeles Lakers, with the Spurs receiving a promising forward in return.

Kawhi to Lakers trade

The Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned as a team that will be heavily involved in the offseason, but mostly in terms of their pursuit of top free agent players. The two names atop their list seem to be the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James and the Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George. OKC is nearly eliminated from the postseason after what some may consider a failed attempt to give Westbrook more star power.

Meanwhile, LeBron and the Cavs are hanging around in their first-round series. There's a possibility that "King James" and company will be ousted ahead of the NBA Finals, though, which could give him reason to consider other teams including the Lakers.

Most analysts contend that if the Lakers can't land LeBron James and/or Paul George, that Kawhi Leonard will also be a player they'll try to acquire.

A recent trade was suggested, in an ESPN article, which would send Leonard from San Antonio to Los Angeles. In exchange, the Spurs would receive young forward Brandon Ingram to try to integrate into Coach Gregg Popovich's system. Basically, the idea would be that San Antonio wouldn't lose Kawhi to free agency and would get someone in exchange that could help them contend in the future.

Will it happen?

ESPN's Kevin Pelton suggests that a Kawhi Leonard for Brandon Ingram trade between the Lakers and Spurs is contingent on San Antonio's front office. If they feel they won't get more value back for Leonard than Brandon Ingram, and that they can help groom him to develop into a player realizing his potential, this could happen.

It's also suggested that this deal could help the Lakers get two superstars on board for their roster, as they could stretch Luol Deng's contract which would allow them to sign a top star such as LeBron James. The Lakers' cap space would also help the Spurs with this trade by potentially shedding $15 million in 2018-19 payroll. To do so the deal would have to be done after the moratorium.

Mark Heisler of Orange County Register suggests that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich seems to have a rule when it comes to these sorts of trades. That rule is one that prevents him from helping out rivals in the Western Conference. Trading Kawhi Leonard to the Lakers would certainly be helping out a team that is on the upside in terms of their youthful star Lonzo Ball, as well as their cap space to sign other stars.

With that said, the San Antonio Spurs may have a roller coaster of an offseason on the way after their early exit from the NBA Playoffs. There are the potential decisions looming by longtime stars Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker with regards to their futures in the league, as well as the team's planned meeting with Kawhi Leonard. If things don't go smoothly between Leonard and his only team so far in the NBA, fans could see him donning the purple and gold within the next two seasons.
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