It's no secret the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers are engaged in trade talks for Kawhi Leonard. Having missed out on Paul George, the Lakers seem keen on acquiring Kawhi this summer. But the Spurs' asking price is reportedly astronomical: Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, two first-round picks, and two pick swaps. You read that sentence correctly.
The report comes from CBA expert and Lakers insider Larry Coon, who shared his intel with Spectrum SportsNet.
NBA salary cap expert @LarryCoon was on tonight's show to break down the #Lakers' cap space flexibility following today's moves. pic.twitter.com/GTB1fYdQrk
"From what I hear, they're asking a lot...they're just saying, 'Give us everything,'" Coon said.
No kidding.
If the Lakers made this deal—which, spoiler alert, they will not—they'd essentially be left with Lonzo Ball, LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the players they acquired this offseason—Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, and JaVale McGee. If you add Kawhi to that mix, it's a decent squad—but certainly not one that's going to challenge the best of the best.
San Antonio seems to be employing the classic bargaining strategy of asking for way too much in the hopes they'll settle somewhere in the middle. The Spurs have to be careful, though: their absurd asking price might put off the Lakers, spurring L.A. to halt negotiations and decide instead to pursue Kawhi in free agency next summer.
After all, it seems clear as day he wants to end up in L.A. at some point.
