NBA: Predicting the landing spots for the top 15 free agents
Kawhi Leonard (UFA)
How things can change in just one year. When Kawhi Leonard was traded to Toronto last July, he’d reportedly had no desire to play in Toronto, and the gamble GM Masai Ujiri took was immediately labeled as a one-year rental. Now, after leading the franchise and carrying a nation towards their first NBA championship, there is a real possibility he might stay.
He could choose to return to the Raptors and fight for another title, but he also has been heavily rumored to be interested in going to the Clippers, and the other LA team is also trying to lure the soon to be 28-year-old away from an extended stay in Toronto. Meanwhile, other reports are saying that teams are trying to pair Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard together for an ultimate two-way wing pair, so maybe the Nets and Knicks come to mind.
Realistically, this will come down to being a two-man race between the Clippers and the Raptors. And in this scenario, I believe Ujiri and the whole Raptors organization has done enough to convince the mercurial superstar to stay and enjoy the free food and multi-million dollar penthouse.