Lakers reportedly content to sign Kawhi Leonard as free agent

Before the Los Angeles Lakers reached an agreement with LeBron James, there was a belief that they may have to trade for Kawhi Leonard in order to convince LeBron that signing with them is a good idea. Since that obviously was not the case, is there really any need for them to give up assets for a player they’re confident they can sign?

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski spoke about Leonard’s trade value on “SportsCenter” Tuesday night, and he said the Lakers are now content to play hard ball with the San Antonio Spurs.

“The Lakers now, in the way they’ve approached these trade talks with San Antonio, they’re kind of showing their hand that they may be willing to just wait until next summer in free agency,” Wojnarowski said. “They have not made an overwhelming offer. I don’t think they’ve come close to meeting the threshold that the Spurs have.”

As long as Leonard insists his plan is to sign with the Lakers when he becomes a free agent next summer, the Spurs have little chance of getting a significant return for the star forward.

“Teams like Boston, Philly, others, they’re weighing the chances they have to re-sign him. Leonard has been very consistent privately that he wants to go to the Lakers,” Woj added. “So, to take him on essentially as a rental and give up players and picks for a player who’s gonna leave after one year, Boston and Philly don’t really have to take risks like that.”

LeBron could have signed a two-year deal with the Lakers with an opt-out after Year 1, but he plans to sign for four years with an opt-out after the third. He plans to remain with L.A. for the long haul, and there have been reports that Leonard could go to great lengths to get what he wants. As long as LeBron is willing to be patient, the Lakers have no incentive to trade a big package for Leonard.