Getty Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard
The Toronto Raptors have a lot on the line Tuesday night in Game Two of the Eastern Conference 1st Round against the Magic. Not only do the Raptors have to climb out a 1-0 deficit after last weekend’s 104-101 loss at home. They have to demonstrate competence as a franchise to retain star forward Kawhi Leonard.
Ever since he arrived in Toronto last summer in a trade with San Antonio, speculation has persisted about his future with the team. He has a player option to remain with Toronto next season for over $21 million, so if he’s not satisfied after this postseason, he could enter the free agency market.
Jeremy Woo of SI.com makes a similar point.
Will winning a title, or perhaps more realistically, making the franchise’s first trip to the Finals be enough to fete Leonard’s interest in sticking around? That gambit was successful during the season, but will come to a head after the playoffs, and it’s likely Leonard will take meetings and hear out his options.
Even with success tonight and more in the upcoming weeks, will the 28-year old All-Star move elsewhere? Let’s take a look at potential options.
Kawhi Leonard Free Agency Top Landing Spots & Destinations
There’s a growing sense that even if the Raptors make the Finals that Leonard wants a new team. Per Dan Favale of Bleacher Report:
He initially didn’t want to play in Toronto, per Chris Haynes, then of ESPN.com. He has eyes for Los Angeles, as reported ad nauseam, but not necessarily for LeBron James’ Lakers, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
That other L.A. team is obviously the Clippers, which is where Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard thinks Leonard is eventually heading.
Where @Chris_Broussard thinks Kawhi will go:
70% – Clippers
20% – Toronto
10% – Lakers
I actually think it’s easier for Kawhi to leave Toronto if the Raptors win it. Now, he’s a 2x champion, he can do whatever he wants, and the Clippers have been recruiting him all year.
“If I had to break it down on where I think Kawhi will go percentage-wise,” he said on Undisputed on Friday, “10 percent he goes to the Lakers…what the Clippers have right now is (that) they’re so much better run as an organization than the Lakers. Everybody sees it.
“They’ve recruited Kawhi all year. They have people going to the games. ‘Hey, we’re just letting you know we’re here Kawhi!’ I don’t think it’s anything against LeBron, they’re friendly…but the Lakers are in such disarray.”
That report would jive with what Bill Oram of The Athletic said yesterday, which is that the Lakers are the “second or third choice” for Leonard, as well as Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.
In addition, as Jared Johnson of Forbes points out, the Clippers have about $53 million in projected cap space to deal with this summer. That means Leonard is not the only star they could bring to Staples Center.
They’re currently projected to have around $53 million in cap space this summer, but if they could move Danilo Gallinari and the $22.6 million left on his deal, they would have more than enough for two, max roster slots.
If they are able to trade Gallinari on draft day (something that shouldn’t be too difficult given the year he’s been having), they could realistically go after Kawhi Leonard and one of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson or Jimmy Butler.
In terms of odds, the Clippers are the front-runner, the Raptors need to prove themselves in the immediate with postseasons success and the Lakers are too disorganized to be considered a major threat until their front office gets fixed.