Kawhi Leonard To Snub Lakers, This Will Force A Major Upheaval

Kawhi Leonard may be on his way to Los Angeles this summer, but he is not playing on the same team with LeBron James.

Marc Stein of the New York Times says that Leonard will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers. Stein says that Leonard’s departure will trigger a bunch of changes in the Canadian team.

Toronto made a huge step to trade away DeMar DeRozan for Leonard. This added fuel to the fire, and fans started talking and making comparison to Paul George’s moving to the Oklahoma City Thunder where he decided to re-sign with the team and play alongside Russell Westbrook.

The Raptors may hope for a similar scenario when Leonard becomes free agents. Maybe Leonard is actually interested in coming home to play in California.

The Lakers will have to work really hard to defeat the Clippers.

Stein is convinced that Leonard will sign a contract with the Clippers, and the Toronto will lose the grip.

“Kawhi Leonard will leave Toronto to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers in July. Look for several of next summer’s major free agents — Boston’s Kyrie Irving, Philadelphia’s Jimmy Butler and Golden State’s Klay Thompson — to stay put,” Stein wrote.

“Allow me to also pass on one of the wildest predictions I’ve heard lately, from one wise insider, who thinks even DeMarcus Cousins will consider re-upping with the Warriors for one more season despite the (comparatively) minuscule raise they can offer on Cousins’ current $5.3 million salary.

“The Raptors, however, know that they almost certainly have to win it all to convince Leonard to spurn a return to his native Southern California. It turns out that merely winning the LeBron-less East will be tougher than the Raptors ever imagined because of Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Boston and pesky Indiana. The Clippers’ hopes of signing Kawhi away from the Raptors, as a result, feel rather real as the calendar flips. One likewise presumes that a full Toronto teardown, headlined by a Kyle Lowry trade, would soon follow if Kawhi exits.”

When asked about his free agency, Leonard said he is focused on the season.

“I’m focused on right now, what this is bringing for me and focused on the opportunity that I have here and what we can do this season. Later down the road, that’s when I’ll make my decision.”