In the midst of a huge potential trade in the works between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs, reports of a potential disconnect between Kawhi Leonard and his reported preferred destination have emerged.

ESPN's Steven A. Smith said during his radio show that the atmosphere surrounding the Lakers' Showtime-rebirth aspirations could be out of the 26-year-old's comfort zone.

“I'm hearing that Kawhi Leonard isn't that enamored with the thought of coming to L.A. with LeBron,” said Smith. “Not because of LeBron himself the person or the basketball player, but because of the paparazzi like atmosphere he will ultimately create in L.A. Kawhi ain't built that way. Kawhi is not the type of player that wants to be a part of all that.”

“Now obviously this could all be a smokescreen. It could be the Clippers leaking stuff out there to the masses hoping somebody grabs hold of it and just puts it out there without acknowledging the fact that the Clippers could be putting this out there because in their perfect world, they want people to believe they have a chance for Kawhi Leonard.”

Leonard is the one piece that could lock things up for James before deciding whether to opt in or out of the last year of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This latest report is completely the opposite from what Leonard's camp has put out throughout the offseason, telling Spurs representatives that his preferred landing spot is his native Los Angeles.