The Lakers will have back up a metaphorical Brink's truck to San Antonio if they want to make a trade for Kawhi Leonard.
To pry Leonard away from the Spurs and bring him onto a roster with LeBron James, the Lakers will have to give up young assets Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma, as well as two first-round picks and two swapped picks, Larry Coon told Spectrum Sportsnet.
The Spurs don’t want to trade Leonard, but if it becomes clear he’ll leave as a a free agent next offseason regardless, they’ll want a massive return for a player considered one of the five best in the NBA.
Ingram made a nice leap in his second year, upping his scoring average to 16.1 points per game, while Kuzma outshone Lonzo Ball in his rookie season, averaging 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The price tag placed on Leonard makes it clear the Spurs aren’t interested in re-building the team from the ground up if they lose a superstar. Ingram and Kuzma are nice pieces that could keep San Antonio in the playoff picture in a loaded Western Conference, and maybe even develop into an impactful NBA duo.
