Leonard, 27, officially became eligible to sign a $219m five-year supermax contract extension with the Spurs today although given his current disillusionment with the situation in San Antonio, it appears unlikely he will sign any time soon.
The Lakers are said to be Leonard’s preferred destination if he is traded in the near future – but the two-time Defensive Player of the Year could also opt to wait until becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2019 before moving to the Western Conference giants.
Talks between the Spurs and Lakers regarding a trade this summer are thought to have reached a sticking point over the perceived asking price: RC Buford, long-time general manager in San Antonio, is believed to be demanding a monster package containing both future draft picks and one or more of the team’s young prospects.
Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart or Kyle Kuzma are the players reportedly identified if any prospective trade is to progress this year.
Speaking on Fox Sports’ Undisputed today, Skip Bayless suggested second-year star Hart was in danger of playing his way into being traded away from the Lakers, given his impressive showing at Summer League so far.
The 23-year-old has started all five of the Lakers’ games so far, averaging 22.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Bayless credited new Laker LeBron James with showing support to the young guard by showing up to watch him play yesterday, telling co-host Shannon Sharpe: “I don’t disagree, it was a good gesture for Josh Hart because he looks like he’s going to be a player. He is part of their rotation.
“I don’t know if he can be a starter. I’m shocked that he fell all the way to the bottom of the first round, he’s a former Big East Player Of The Year, Defensive Player of the Year, he’s not a very explosive athlete but he’s like 6ft 5ins, 210lbs.
“He has got a man’s body and he will defend like crazy. Will he help this team? He’s a sophomore, obviously, and he’s playing among freshmen mostly. Is he going to be the MVP of the Summer League? Possibly.
“He might be a part of that package they’re putting together to get Kawhi,” Sharpe interjected.
“He might be playing his way right out of LA,” Bayless agreed.
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