Getty Kawhi Leonard
Every morning after the Raptors play an NBA Playoff game, it seems a new report or take starts floating about Kawhi Leonard’s future in Toronto. Just a few days ago, True Hoops reported that they had sources telling them “Count on Kawhi returning to the Raptors.”
That came a day after Toronto’s 118-109 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals over the Warriors. The morning after Golden State evened the series at one apiece, ESPN’s Jay Williams made a strong statement on Leonard’s future outside of Toronto.
The former 1st-round draft pick out of Duke said on “Get Up” that “If (Leonard) wins a championship, he’s leaving. If he loses a championship, he’s leaving.” He doubled down in a discussion with Mike Greenberg, guaranteeing that the Raptors star will not return to Toronto next season no matter what happens.
“If he wins a championship, he’s leaving. If he loses a championship, he’s leaving. He’s leaving.”
—@RealJayWilliams on Kawhi Leonard
Compare this to Henry Abbott at True Hoops’ report that stated: “Even before the Finals began, we at True Hoops heard from plugged-in sources associated with players and the league – but not the team – that Kawhi would return to the Toronto, at least on a short-term deal.”
Leonard is entering the last year of his contract if he re-ups with Toronto using his player option, and would earn over $21 million next season. He could reject the trade and make a max contract with another team, or wait until he’s an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
This has connected him with rumors that team him up with LeBron James and the Lakers or becoming the Alpha dog for the Clippers. Let’s look at the latest destinations for “The Claw.”
Kawhi Leonard Los Angeles Free Agency Rumors
Count on Kawhi returning to the Raptors, per TrueHoop sources, @coachthorpe.
Much of the speculation connecting Leonard to Southern California has to do with Los Angeles being his hometown and San Diego being his college town. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said as much during a radio interview.
“If the Raptors win this, it’ll be hard for Kawhi to leave,” Shelburne said on ESPN radio. “I still think he does, I know there’s like this flickering hope that he would stay regardless because he does enjoy Canada. I just think the guy has been pretty clear. He wants to be back home in California.”
Shelburne should be considered a trusted source, as even President Obama told her at Game 2 that she “does a good job.” Both the Clippers and the Lakers have issues that they are working through to try to convince Leonard.
The Clippers just got slapped with a $50,000 fine for tampering, as the Raptors leveled multiple complaints towards the NBA offices. The Clippers have gone above and beyond to try to convince Leonard to move back out West, with several team officials frequently visiting his games across the country.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have famously been a mess this offseason, from firing Luke Walton to the Magic Johnson-Rob Pelinka drama. There had been talk back in April about Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri coming to Los Angeles as a package deal with Leonard, which would address both personnel and management needs.
If Leonard sticks with Toronto, he can stick around for a year before entering this free agency mania again in 2020. If he goes to Los Angeles, he has a choice between a hungry new contender in the Clippers or a dysfunctional one in the Lakers.