The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to be vigorously working the phones ahead of the start of NBA free agency this weekend to acquire superstar forward Kawhi Leonard in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard has let it be known that he wants out and would prefer to play for the Lakers, the team he intends to sign with in free agency next summer.

An added element to these trade rumors is the LeBron James factor. It's entirely possible that the Lakers securing the acquisition of Leonard in a trade would also convince LeBron to sign on the dotted line once free agency is officially underway. However, the Spurs have an understandably high asking price for Leonard which could force the Lakers brass to offer the bulk of their talented young core to get the deal done, but Brandon Ingram has yet to be offered in any deals, according to Tania Ganguli of L.A. Times.

The goal for the Lakers brass would seemingly be to get a deal done before the start of free agency on July 1 to secure both James and Leonard while also making a strong pitch to Paul George. The master plan appears to be getting these three superstars together in Los Angeles to compete for an NBA title immediately, but it remains to be seen if they'll be able to land one, two or all three of these players.

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Notable players that could be involved in a trade scenario for Leonard include Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Julius Randle (potential sign-and-trade), and Ingram. If recent reports are to be believed, the Spurs haven't shown interest in Lonzo Ball.

At this point, Los Angeles is the one team in which every star player headed for free agency has been linked with. Magic Johnson and company appear to have a legitimate shot to win the summer and put themselves in the title-contending conversation if all the pieces come together at the right time.

Last season, Ingram averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three-point range.