It’s the second week of free agency and it seems most of the big names have already secured their futures for the next NBA season. One is still up in the air however with Kawhi Leonard reportedly keen to leave San Antonio but if he does depart, just who would he sign for?
Already we have seen LeBron James sign a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s just one of the top stars who won’t be subjected to any more transfer talk. Also signing deals have been Chris Paul, Paul George and the DeMarcus Cousins.
Years of Success with the Spurs
Leonard, who has recently celebrated his 27th birthday joined San Antonio in 2011 after initially being picked by the Indiana Pacers. The following year he was named in the NBA All-Rookie first team.
The 2014/15 NBA season saw him win the Defensive Player of the Year award, not bad seeing he played part of the season with blurred vision. He re-signed with the Spurs in 2015 signing a five-year contract worth $90m and his on-court success continued as he was named in the Western Conference team for the 2016 All-Star game.
The speculation over the future of Kawhi Leonard comes at a time when the San Antonio Spurs have already seen two players leave with both Tony Parker and Kyle Anderson departing. Parker has agreed terms with the Hornets and Anderson is on his way to Memphis.
Quad Injury Causes Unrest
Leonard hasn’t been seen a great deal since he made it known that he wants a trade from the Spurs. San Antonio have not made much progress on a deal that would see him leave but the two-time Defensive Player of the year is not at all happy there. He was upset over the way the team handled him when he went down with a quad injury.
Leonard was cleared to play by the San Antonio staff, but he sought a second opinion from his own doctors and spent more time rehabbing his injury. When asked to play for the Spurs in March of this year, a meeting was held that was described as “tense and emotional.”
Who could Sign Him?
When it comes to the possibility of players joining new teams, it’s often an idea to have a look at who they are seen with. Two and two may end up making five but sometimes it’s a good pointer and on Wednesday, Leonard was seen with former teammate Jonathan Simmons who now plays for Orlando Magic. It’s unlikely that Leonard would end up in Orlando as they don’t have the assets to acquire him, so back to the drawing board on just where he might be playing next season.
There’s great uncertainty over who might sign Leonard. He’s been known to fancy being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, but betting has seen the odds on the Toronto Raptors getting their hands on him fall sharply. They are favourites to be Leonard’s home next season with the second favourite seeing him remaining at San Antonio for another season.
