Lakers Pitch Kawhi Leonard With LeBron & Anthony Davis Billboard

Kawhi Leonard Free Agency Billboard

Getty Kawhi Leonard looks on during the Toronto Raptors Victory Parade.

With the Kawhi to the Lakers rumors in full effect, Los Angeles is going all out for their upcoming meeting with the King of the North. A few days after Clippers’ billboards appeared in Los Angeles trying to lure Kawhi, the Lakers struck back with a billboard of their own.


Lakers Pitch Kawhi Leonard With LeBron & Anthony Davis Billboard

Going with the hashtag #KaWhyNot and photoshopping the King of the North in a Lakers uniform alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers took a bit more of a creative spin compared to the Clippers – whose billboards were a ripoff of a New Balance ad, a license plate, and a “Toronto is in Canada” message.

While the billboard will do little, in reality, to convince Leonard one way or the other, it is a nice cherry on top to show him that Lakers fans would rejoice upon his arrival. While the latest odds have the Lakers still behind Toronto to land the transcendent two-way superstar, Kawhi to the Lakers certainly is picking up steam as we head into billboard season before free agency.


Other Lakers Free Agency Targets

Aside from Kawhi Leonard, the Lakers have been linked to a number of top free agents including Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and D’Angelo Russell. If the Lakers are able to lure any of Leonard, Irving, or Butler onboard, they wouldn’t have any remaining cap space and would need to rely on their available “room exception” and veteran minimum contracts in order to fill out the remainder of the roster.

However, if the Nets land Irving and let Russell walk, the Lakers could sign him and have $5 million to play with before having to dip into the same exception and veteran minimum contracts that they would otherwise.

A third option – should they strike out on top tier free agents – would be to simply use that max slot to break apart into multiple players and build out more depth surrounding James and Davis. While the Lakers wouldn’t have a “big three” they would have a team more capable of surviving an injury to a key component.