Here’s what the Lakers best offer for Kawhi Leonard probably looks like

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a time crunch to trade with the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard, as LeBron James is hanging in on the other line and wants to make his free agency decision soon. The problem for Magic Johnson’s team is that the Spurs don’t have the same motivation to move their disgruntled star. San Antonio can take its time.

The final few days of June are, as expected, showing a shift in leverage between the teams and Leonard, which is fluid by the hour.

Here’s the scenario: Leonard reportedly wants to play in L.A., with the Lakers as his preference. But San Antonio could choose to send him wherever the best offer lies. There’s no incentive to trade him to a conference rival, unless of course, Leonard scares off the competition. Leonard can sway other teams from finalizing an offer by refusing to commit past the final year remaining on his contract.

That’s the stalemate the Lakers, Leonard and Spurs find themselves in with the clock ticking. Nobody’s going to get exactly what they want.

The Spurs’ future is dictated by Leonard. The NBA is a league built off the success of a handful of superstars, and in its current construct, you can’t win without one. Losing Leonard likely forces San Antonio into a rebuild it hasn’t participated in in decades. The right deal with L.A. could make it a short one, though.

The Lakers have one of the best young cores in the league, a group that includes two potential superstars and another pair of maybe-starters. San Antonio has to shoot for the lot. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are willing to include Brandon Ingram and a future first-round pick, but San Antonio wants more.

* Note: The Spurs are unlikely to get ALL of these players. But some combination is likely what the “Godfather” offer USA Today’s Sam Amick was referring to.

Brandon Ingram is the prize of the bunch and it’s hard to see a deal made without him. The lanky 6’9 wing had a much improved sophomore season after a rookie stumble. Averaging 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, Ingram shined last season. He showed why he was the No. 2 pick in the 2016 Draft, and could be a Leonard-esque fill-in.

Lonzo Ball is a notch below him. The No. 2 pick in the 2017 Draft was injured for a portion of his rookie season, but showed flashes of stardom. He averaged 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, playing exactly the role his stock promised. He could be a do-it-all All-Star caliber point guard. The only problem is that his dad is part of the package.

Kyle Kuzma unexpectedly made an All-Rookie First Team, and another rookie, Josh Hart, was solid too. They may not be superstars, but they can both play roles right now.

Luol Deng fixes the salary cap dilemma, but with more than $36 million left on his deal across two seasons, the Spurs will be hesitant to take him on.

For a player of Leonard’s talent, and with L.A. in a time crunch to try and pair James, Leonard and maybe more, San Antonio has to try and swing for the fences.

They’re still trying to land the perfect deal, though.

The only team with comparable assets to L.A. is Boston. Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum are two of the three best rebuilding pieces San Antonio could ask for aside from Ingram. Though no names of who is on the block have leaked, Wojnarowski reported the Celtics and Spurs are in trade talks — though Boston is cautious because of Leonard’s injury and the uncertainty of his future.

The report could be all smoke. Maybe San Antonio is leaking information to pressure L.A. into sweetening its deal. But it at least serves as a reminder that the Spurs don’t have to give Leonard what he wants. They could ship him anywhere.

NBA free agency is in full swing, and the dominoes won’t begin to fall until someone starts saying yes.