Los Angeles Lakers: How does the Kawhi Leonard trade affect Lakers?

After Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in familiar territory waiting to court a free agent.

The Los Angeles Lakers are 17 months into the Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka era of making basketball decisions, and all of them have been pretty hard to fault. Last year’s draft class of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart, the offloading of Timofey Mozgov’s contract, using Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson/Larry Nance Jr. to acquire first round picks and expiring contracts have all led to LeBron James and this current roster.

The lone move, or lack thereof, that has drawn criticism was not being more aggressive in acquiring Paul George, who opted to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder without taking a meeting with his hometown Lakers. I don’t see this as a loss, but they find themselves in a similar position this season with another SoCal kid vocal about playing for the Lakers (or Los Angeles Clippers) who’s a year away from free agency and was just traded into a great basketball culture.

Kawhi Leonard was disgruntled during his final season with the San Antonio Spurs, and the NBA Finals MVP was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a blockbuster trade featuring DeMar DeRozan heading to the Alamo. He reportedly has no desire to play in Toronto, and there’s questions that he may not report to training camp in a couple months.

I find it hard to envision him missing a second consecutive season of competitive basketball, and if/when he decides to play, the Raptors are my favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference. That discussion is for another day, but the Lakers will have to hope he doesn’t enjoy his time north of the border too much, or potentially risk losing out on a star wing for consecutive offseason.

Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has a reputation for being a strong salesman, and, like OKC and Sam Presti, believes in the culture he has built in Toronto. The city itself is one of the best in the NBA with plenty of marketing opportunities, so if Kawhi can grow accustomed to the cold and leads the Raptors deep into the postseason, there’s a small chance he could stay put with the extra money they can offer him compared to the Lakers.

Every situation is different, so comparing the Thunder and Paul George’s scenario is different. Russell Westbrook is in the prime of his career along with most of the Thunder roster, and the Raptors have a strange mix of younger talent and veteran pieces in their 30s with Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and C.J. Miles, but Toronto has the better chance of reaching the NBA Finals.

I voiced my opinion about the Lakers not depleting their assets for Kawhi and taking their chances in free agency. I stand by that sentiment, and feel better about it after watching Josh Hart win the Summer League MVP, adding another budding talent to their core. The chances of landing Kawhi in free agency are greater than PG-13, and I suspect the Lakers to make a strong push for him in the offseason.

If Kawhi opts for the Raptors or Clippers or another organization, I still feel the Lakers made the smart move. The 2019 free agency class has other stars that fit perfectly with LeBron and the young core. Klay Thompson (the son of Lakers great Mychal Thompson) and Jimmy Butler are ideal wings to add. Even Khris Middleton makes sense if they don’t have to offer the max, and Kevin Durant could opt out (although joining the Lakers sounds farfetched).

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

The point is, the Lakers are building a team for the next decade. LeBron understands this and put no pressure on the front office to add a star immediately. This team is deep with a strong mix of playoff tested vets and talented do-it-all young players. Keeping that core intact is just as important as adding LeBron to the mix, and all it does is maintain all their options for the 2019 free agency class without sacrificing their future.