With the Los Angeles Lakers having $38 million in cap space for 2019 Free Agency, who would you rather have, Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard?
After receiving the news that Luol Deng agreed to a $29.3 million buyout from the Los Angeles Lakers, you could feel the collective sigh of relief of Laker fans erupt in the LA air like a mushroom cloud – signaling the definitive end of the Mitch Kupchak era.
With Deng being the gentleman he is, his return of $7.5 million from the $36.8 million remaining on his contract gives the Lakers roughly $38 million in salary cap space in 2019 free agency.
While the Lakers aren’t the only team with enough cap room to sign a top free agent next summer, they have the market size, the history, and the superstar in LeBron James to attract any free agent available – and with this much influence, the availability of free agents to join such an appealing situation opens up a wider pool of talent.
Now here is where it gets fun – we may see more players decline their player options on strong teams to have the opportunity to play with the one of the greatest basketball players ever, compete for a championship, and be a part of illustrious Laker history. This will shape the most star-studded class of free agents in years, with the likes of Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard potentially teaming up with LeBron James and instantly become championship favourites.
Of course, having either player join the team will be a success, but Durant and Leonard bring different dynamics to the team, which could ultimately be the difference in an NBA Finals Game 7. For Los Angeles, it essentially comes down to who is the more complementary player to LeBron.
The Lakers will no doubt arrange meetings with both players should they become unrestricted, but if you were Magic Johnson or Rob Pelinka, who would you set up a meeting with first – Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard?