After winning a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, Kawhi Leonard quickly became the hottest commodity in the entire NBA. He was pursued by numerous teams in free agency and in the end, he had his choice between the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Raptors. Eventually, Kawhi decided to go home to Los Angeles and play for the Clippers, who went out and got Paul George to complement Kawhi’s skill set.
While the Clippers have been a good regular-season team, Kawhi and PG have yet to lead the team to the NBA Finals, despite being title favorites over the last two seasons. Now, Kawhi has a player option for next season and it is expected that he will decline the option so that he can get paid more, all while testing free agency again.
Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Many felt like this was simply a formality and that Leonard would be back with the Clippers no matter what. According to Marc Stein, this might not be the case as sources are saying that there are no guarantees when it comes to Leonard’s status. Teams like the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks are preparing themselves for this reality, which is yet another indicator that Leonard might be serious about moving teams.
This would certainly be a drastic move, and for now, fans aren’t buying it. As you can see in the tweet below, NBA fans believe it would be weak for Kawhi to leave Los Angeles and that as it stands, the Clippers give him the best shot at winning the title.
Let us know what you think Kawhi should do, in the comments below.