NBA Rumors: Why Lakers Should Pursue Kyrie Irving Instead Of Kawhi Leonard

The Los Angeles Lakers did a couple of things to clear cap space recently, and now the news is ripe that the purple and gold are still hot on the trail of getting that third superstar to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard remain on the Lakers' radar, and the purple and gold now have a bit of breathing room in terms of offering a (close to) max contract to either player.

The Lakers were able to add some space after Anthony Davis waived his $4 million trade kicker. Aside from that, Los Angeles sent Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones to the Washington Wizards -- reportedly part of the Davis trade with the New Orleans Pelicans according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Hence, the Lakers now have $32 million in cap room, far better than the previous one pegged at $23.7 million before those transactions. However, the Lakers may still be a bit short as far as offering a max contract -- meaning there is still work to do or they are able to pull off something beyond the numbers offered.

Regardless, the Lakers will still likely try to pitch to Irving, Leonard and other stars available in the market this NBA free agency. But of the two, focusing on Irving seems better considering Los Angeles is in dire need of a point guard. This is not to say that they would be wasting time on Leonard. Rather, it is more about filling in critical positions that current team players may not be able to adjust or shift to.

Leonard is most likely to remain in Toronto even if other teams try to pitch something. Coming off a successful campaign with the Raptors, it hardly makes sense for the two-time NBA Finals MVP to jump ship at this stage. Also, the Raps can give him the best financial package compared to other teams this summer. The Lakers do need a man in the wings but Leonard could have issues when it comes to sharing the ball with guys like LeBron James and Davis.

Aside from Irving, another player that the Lakers are linked to is Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets the New York Times reported. The 29-year-old wants to see what the Hornets have to offer, and this could very well dictate if he will be made available in NBA free agency or not. Aside from the Lakers, the Boston Celtics are the other team closely linked to the 9th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. So for the Lakers, it all depends on which high profile NBA star is still available and interested to suit up in Hollywood for the 2019-20 NBA wars.