With the 2018 NBA Draft hours away, the Los Angeles Lakers have the Nos. 25, 39, and 47 picks. After trading their 2019 second round pick via the Chicago Bulls to the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 39 pick, there are questions regarding what Los Angeles has in mind.
While president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka could very well keep all three draft picks, there are scenarios where the Lakers could look to move up to the mid-first round or potentially include them as part of a trade offer for Kawhi Leonard.
After it was initially reported the San Antonio Spurs are listening to potential offers for the two-time All-Star, it appears the Lakers are making their initial move.
According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers have reached out to the Spurs about the 26-year-old, but there are no proposals at this time:
The Los Angeles Lakers have reached out to the San Antonio Spurs to express interest in All-Star Kawhi Leonard, league sources tell Yahoo. No proposals have been discussed.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 21, 2018
With Leonard eyeing the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, it will be interesting to see how the Spurs approach the situation. Although the Clippers could potentially offer Tobias Harris and the Nos. 12 and 13 picks, the Lakers have a young core that should attract some interest.
If the Lakers are able to trade for Leonard, there will be conversations about creating a big three of their own with LeBron James and Paul George in free agency. While there are challenges in making this scenario a reality, the Lakers have created options for themselves.
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