While it’s unknown whether the Lakers ever actually made any offers for Kawhi Leonard, it’s clear that they had some interest in the former San Antonio Spurs forward. However, his time with the Spurs came to an end today as the Toronto Raptors have acquired Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs, sending DeMar DeRozan in return.
Spurs have agree to trade Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick, league sources tell ESPN. Trade call with league office is starting shortly.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 18, 2018
Leonard put the pressure on the Spurs to trade him after this season, preferably to Los Angeles. However, without a no-trade clause, San Antonio was able to trade him to the team that gave them the best offer. In this case, that was the Raptors. Toronto may only have Kawhi for a year though, as he is eligible for free agency after this season.
It will be interesting to see how the Kawhi Leonard saga continues, but for now, the Lakers are out of the mix. Only time will tell if their paths will cross again in the off-season of 2019.
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