Lakers' trade attempt for two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard reportedly blocked

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Kawhi Leonard is a bona fide Hall of Fame forward who has remained consistent as a mid-range extraordinaire, three-point sniper, and menacing on-and off-ball defender.

Back in 2018, the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to secure the two-way superstar’s polished two-way services to position themselves perfectly for regular championship runs. According to a former Spurs staffer, the Lakers inquired about a potential blockbuster trade for the seven-time All-Star, but the then-Spurs head coach Greg Popovich quickly put the kibosh on the idea.

“Don’t trade great players to your rivals,” the ex-Spurs staffer told the Ringer’s Bill Simmons last Thursday. “I remember the Lakers were calling us in 2018, ‘Can we get Kawhi Leonard from you?’ And Pop was like, (expletive) no.”

“We’re not trading our best player to the team we think is a real threat to our championship hopes over here.’ So we sent him to the Eastern Conference to Toronto (Raptors) for many reasons, but one of them was like we’re not here to help our rivals in Los Angeles.”

It certainly would have been exciting to watch Leonard compete with a storied Lakers franchise during the peak of his career. However, it clearly wasn’t meant to be, as the Spurs traded Leonard and Danny Green to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected first-round pick.

Leonard guided Toronto to its first-ever title during his lone season with the organization, averaging 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals en route to the second NBA Finals MVP nod of his career. The San Diego State product signed with the Los Angeles Clippers shortly after, and spent six seasons with the franchise before reuniting with Toronto earlier this offseason (the deal hasn't been finalized yet, though).

As for Los Angeles, it added fellow superstar LeBron James during the 2018 offseason and won a championship two years later, making their Leonard miss slightly less deflating. Given the Lakers are in good shape with Luka Doncic now leading the franchise, it’s safe to assume the 17-time NBA champions have moved on from Leonard.

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