Podcast: Kawhi Leonard trade rumors wrap-up

It takes quite a bit to drag me away from my weekend festivities, but I guess yet another superstar showing reported interest in playing for the Los Angeles Lakers will do the trick. In case you’ve spent most of yesterday and today under a rock, the latest star to show said interest is Kawhi Leonard. So that’s pretty cool.

I jumped behind the mic to give my immediate thoughts on the rumors. It’s important to start at the beginning here, because it helps explain why he’d want to go from perennial playoff contending San Antonio to a Lakers team coming off 35 wins.

After offering up what I know about that situation, I offer the pros and cons to trading for Leonard. Yes, he is incredibly talented but let’s not act as if there aren’t red flags here. Do the positives outweigh the negatives here? Most (myself included) would say yes. But you should always be wary of the guy who says everyone around him is crazy. That’s one of the oldest rules in the book.

Lastly, I take a look at how this Lakers team would be capable of if everything went their way. A core of Leonard, Lebron James, Paul George, maybe Julius Randle and either Lonzo Ball or Brandon Ingram is enough to be called a title favorite in just about any season, but you know, the Warriors exist.

There’s no way to know how all of this will play out. Maybe Leonard is using the Lakers as leverage — a June and July tradition unlike any other. Maybe the Lakers will actually head into next season with the perfect modern big three. Maybe they strike out and we go from considering title odds to hoping for the eight seed. This summer is going to be wild.

As per usual, you can listen to the full conversation below and if you don’t want to miss future episodes, make sure to subscribe on iTunes.