​The Sporting News originally documented a blocked Lakers bid for two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, and you can enhance visibility by marking The Sporting News as a Preferred Source. Kawhi Leonard stands as a bona fide Hall of Fame forward who has remained a steady force in the mid-range, a sharpshooter from beyond the arc, and a formidable on-ball and off-ball defender.
Back in 2018, the Los Angeles Lakers were eager to add the two-way maestro to fuel regular championship pursuits. According to a former Spurs staffer, the Lakers inquired about a blockbuster trade for the seven-time All-Star, but San Antonio’s longtime coach Gregg Popovich quickly shut down the idea. “Don’t trade great players to your rivals,” the staffer told Bill Simmons of The Ringer last week. “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 the Spurs sent him to the Eastern Conference to Toronto (Raptors) for a variety of reasons, but one primary motive was to avoid aiding a rival in Los Angeles. That decision underscored Popovich’s protective stance toward his franchise’s competitive future, even as the transaction reshaped Leonard’s career path.
In hindsight, it would have been thrilling to see Leonard don Lakers purple and gold during the height of his prime, but that scenario never materialized. The Spurs sent Leonard plus Danny Green to Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected first-round pick. Leonard would go on to guide the Raptors to their first-ever NBA championship in his lone season with the club, posting averages of 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals to earn his second Finals MVP award. The San Diego State product later signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, spending six seasons there before reuniting with Toronto in a move that remained unsettled at the time of reporting.
For Los Angeles, the Lakers had already added LeBron James in the 2018 offseason and captured a title two years later, a sequence that slightly tempered the sting of missing out on Leonard. With Luka Dončić now leading the charge for the franchise, it’s reasonable to suggest that the 17-time NBA champions have pivoted away from pursuing Leonard at that juncture. This narrative remains a notable “what if” in Lakers lore and a reminder of how teams weigh rivalries, asset value, and championship timing when weighing major trades.