Los Angeles Lakers: 5 wildly ambitious free agency targets in next 3 years

Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Antonio Spurs

When he’ll be available: Free agent in 2019 (player option) or 2020

Another option for the Lakers, and another Southern California native. The returning home narrative is all too prominent in today’s NBA, so you can likely understand why I keep pointing out these possible ties between Los Angeles and the highlighted superstars.

Kawhi Leonard was born in Los Angeles, and spent his college career at San Diego State, which lies not too far south. Although he’s seemed like a perfect fit for Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, there’s no telling what he’ll want if/when he becomes a free agent.

If he opens the door for another team to woo him, the Lakers have to jump at the opportunity. He’s arguably the best young talent in the NBA right now, and continues to get better each and every year. Leonard is everything the Lakers wish they had in a two-way wing right now, so signing him would obviously be a dream come true.

At this point, though, it’s looking like Leonard will be a Spur for life. His playing style and personality are exactly what Popovich wants in his star player. In San Antonio, he’s playing for an annual contender that makes an effort every offseason to improve.

The odds are long he ever reaches the open market. The Lakers would be busting down his door, though, if for some strange reason he made himself available.