NBA Rumors: The Los Angeles Clippers should feel good about their chances of landing Kawhi Leonard, when he hits free agency next summer
Kawhi Leonard may be playing for the Toronto Raptors this season, but that could quickly change. And in the matter of just a few months, there will be numerous teams courting the perennial all-star when he hits free agency during the summer.
And if you ask ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, there is one team that should feel great about their possibility of landing Kawhi next summer. That’s the Los Angeles Clippers.
Here are his words from the podcast:
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"[via The Woj Pod – ESPN]What the Clippers are doing right now is very below the radar. What they’ve done to put themselves in position. They didn’t gut themselves and they’re not tanking. They’re putting a competitive team on the floor. I think, right now, with Kawhi Leonard, they have a better than not chance of getting him. We know things will change."
This seems like a complicated to simply say that the Clippers have a 51 percent chance of landing Kawhi, if my math serves me right. And Doc Rivers and company should feel ecstatic about those probabilities.
What this will really come down to is how this season goes for Kawhi in Toronto. If he loves his experience with the Raptors, there’s probably a great chance of him re-signing. However, if he elects to test free agency, the Clippers will be the overwhelming favorites to sign Leonard.
Right now, the Clippers are playing the waiting game. And not just on the Leonard front. He’s not the only big-name free agent that LA could target next summer. Jimmy Butler, who has been at the center of trade rumors, is another player that has been connected to the Clippers over the last few weeks.
And by electing not to trade for him, they’re risking not having the opportunity to sign him at all. At the moment, though, they have to love that the Minnesota Timberwolves haven’t found a trade partner yet. Their hope is that this lasts through the NBA Trade Deadline, which would then leave Butler walking in free agency – and the Clippers, once again, being a favorite.
With two max slots opening up in the offseason, there is a universe in which the Clippers sign both Jimmy B and Kawhi in July.