TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 30: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors after a game against the Golden State Warriors during Game One of the NBA Finals on May 30, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Kawhi Leonard is two wins away from delivering Toronto’s first ever NBA title, but why wait until after that to speculate on his free agency?
Surprise, surprise: The New York Knicks are going to make a run at top free agents this summer.
This is the offseason Knicks fans have long been waiting for. With max contracts to hand out like candy (kind of), New York is expected to land one if not two top free agents and begin to hopefully build a team that will contend in the Eastern Conference for years to come.
According to Steve Popper of Newsday, one of those free agents is expected to be Kawhi Leonard.
This isn’t terribly surprising, even if it seems highly unlikely that Kawhi would choose New York as his next destination. The idea that Kawhi would sit down with the Knicks makes sense since this is the first time he’s a proper free agent. He didn’t choose to go to Toronto, even if the trade from San Antonio ended up being one of the best things for his legacy.
A return to the Raptors seems more and more likely the close Kawi takes them to an NBA Finals win over the Warriors. In addition to Toronto, Kawhi has also expressed interest in playing for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Neither of those teams is the Knicks.
Everything is up in the air and it’s almost useless to try and figure out now where Kawhi will sign in a month. The market is flooded with other superstars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, both of whom have been linked to the Knicks far longer than Kawhi has.
But ’tis the season for free agency rumors to heat up, and let’s not pretend like we don’t all want each and every one injected directly into our veins.