Lakers Rumors: Could LeBron James, Paul George And Kawhi Leonard In LA Become A Reality?

After the end of the NBA Finals, it didn't take long for rumors to surface that the Los Angeles Lakers are set to make waves in the offseason. ESPN's NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers are disgruntled San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard's most appealing landing spot.

The news comes after rampant speculation that free agent LeBron James, who owns a home in the plush Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, has a strong interest in joining the Lakers. In September, veteran NBA columnist Peter Vecsey was emphatic in his belief that James would bolt from the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Lakers in the summer of 2018.

Then there's Paul George. The star forward, who after spending most of his career with the Indiana Pacers barely tasted much playoff success, was considered an obvious choice to be on the radar of the Lakers, a team that potentially could have $70 million in salary-cap space. The rumblings of George to the Lakers were so pronounced that the Lakers faced tampering charges.

To anyone who had been following the years of Laker ineptitude, it was always clear that the front office had an eye on the future and was not content with merely reaching the playoffs. The goal was to be a serious contender, and based on the perceived interest from players like the James, Leonard and George, the hopes of a determined run to the finals was at least somewhere in sight.

While playing the waiting game for a prized free agent, the other goal was to nurture and develop some of the younger players. The Lakers' failures to reach .500 over the years due to the debacle of adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash in 2012-13 opened up opportunities for players like Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma to emerge and at least provide the optics that the Lakers might be a team on the rise.

A debate has developed as to whether the Lakers can, in fact, land their own "Big 3."

Why It Will Happen

There is no denying that James at least has some interest in joining the Lakers and his other options (the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets) are not necessarily appealing. It may not take much to lure James to L.A. and once he signs, the other dominoes should fall. George and Leonard are Southern California natives and both don't seem to have much interest in sticking around their current teams.

The Spurs might feel the time is right to rebuild once they see that James is in L.A. and decide to move on from Leonard, whose future presence would only serve as a distraction. The Lakers can offer Ingram and Kuzma, as long as the Spurs take on Luol Deng's $36.8 million over the next two seasons. It also wouldn't be surprising if the Lakers add another team to make it a three-team trade and include Julius Randle and another player in a package with draft picks to land Leonard.

The will to make this work is there, especially since there shouldn't be much issue landing George. The obstacle is working out a scenario for James that includes the Lakers also adding Leonard.

Why It Won't Happen

Gregg Popovich was livid when the Memphis Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers in 2008, so he won't exactly be thrilled at the prospect of parting ways with Leonard. The Lakers immediately became a top contender with Gasol and left the Spurs without any real hope of reaching the finals. It would destroy the Spurs to see the Lakers become an elite team and this time at their direct expense.

It also doesn't help that the Lakers won't be willing to offer the Spurs a highly desirable package considering the Lakers are probably reluctant to deal both Ingram and Ball. That leaves Randle, Kuzma and draft picks as the best available assets to add to a deal, which may not be all that appealing to San Antonio. The Lakers, meanwhile, may feel that such a trade would leave them without the complimentary players to make a serious run.

The Spurs could also decide to stall, keeping their disgruntled star by waiting until the February trade deadline to find the best deal possible. That would not sit well with James, who might ditch plans to play for the Lakers and go to a team that has a more realistic chance to win a title.