Getty LeBron James is willing to take a backseat for Kawhi Leonard to join the Lakers.
From the limited reports about Kawhi Leonard’s free agency, we know that the All-Star forward had a lot of questions for the Lakers. Ryen Russillo reported on The Bill Simmons Podcast that Leonard had questions about Frank Vogel’s offense and how it would play out on the Lakers.
“I think he was worried about [Frank] Vogel’s offense from the past, so he wanted assurances there,” Russillo noted on the podcast. “I think he wanted some assurances from LeBron. So, I think Magic told him what he wanted to hear at an informal meeting, and I think LeBron told Kawhi what he wanted to hear.”
Vogel is known as a defensive-minded coach, but it is hard to imagine any coach getting in the way of a trio featuring Anthony Davis, Leonard and James. It is important to note that both Russillo and Simmons believe Leonard will sign with the Lakers, and it does not appear that Vogel will be a sticking point. Thanks to his time with the Pacers, Vogel knows just how lethal James can be offensively as Indiana took on Cleveland in numerous playoff series.
For all of this to work, both the players and coaches will have to adapt. Heavy discussed James’ willingness to turn over the team to Leonard for the forward to be the new focal point. Vogel will need to adapt his offensive philosophy as this is, by far, the most talented team he has ever coached.
Kawhi Leonard Wanted to Know If the Lakers Tried to Trade For Him
This is not the first time we have heard that Leonard had questions for the Lakers. According to The Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner, Leonard wanted to know from Magic Johnson if the Lakers tried to trade for him when he was with the Spurs (via Silver Screen and Roll).
There was one interesting question (Leonard) had for Magic: ‘Did you guys try to trade for me when I was in San Antonio?’ And the answer was ‘yes, but because it was Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, and our history, they were asking for 2,000 draft picks — well, not 2,000 — like four draft picks, first-round draft picks, and we just couldn’t do that.’ And that was one of his questions.
Kawhi’s Uncle Dennis Had Questions About the Perceived Lakers Dysfunction
While Leonard focused on the potential past pursuit from the Lakers, Leonard’s Uncle Dennis Robertson focused on the potential dysfunction within the front office. Johnson did his best to clear up Robertson’s questions as well, per Turner.
The uncle’s questions were ‘what’s really going on in the organization between you, Jeanie, Rob Pelinka, everyone? Is it as dysfunctional as we’re reading and hearing?’ And the response was ‘we had some issues, but we’re past that. I’m past that. We’re still a family, such as you fight with your brothers and sisters sometimes, well, I had somewhat of a disagreement with my sister. And Rob Pelinka, yes, I said he was a back-stabber, but that happened then. Now I want the Lakers to be a championship team. Having Kawhi here would do that.
The Clippers appear to offer more stability within the franchise, but the Lakers can offer a more talented roster with Davis and James. It will be interesting to see what Leonard prefers.