Kawhi Leonard trade: Lakers make first official contact with Spurs over huge move - report
THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS have reportedly contacted the San Antonio Spurs regarding a potential trade for Kawhi Leonard.
Last week it was reported that Leonard had made it clear of his wish to be traded away by the Spurs this summer.
It was indicated that his preferred destination would be the Lakers, while the Boston Celtics and LA Clippers were also mentioned.
But the Lakers have moved ahead of their rivals as they have already made contact with the Spurs.
That's according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, who claims the Lakers have officially expressed an interest in Leonard.
However, the report adds that "no proposals were made by either side".
San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich met with Leonard this week to try and work out a scenario in which Leonard could be persuaded to stay.
The Spurs are the only team who will be able to offer Leonard a supermax contract worth up to $219million over five years.
If the 26-year-old manages to force through a trade away from San Antonio this summer then he could miss out on a guaranteed $31m over the same period of time.
It has also been reported the Spurs are reluctant to do business with the Lakers as they do not want to help out a Western Conference rival.
The Celtics have been widely discussed due to the number of assets they have available to them as well as three All-Stars in their ranks in Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford.