Danny Green believes Kawhi Leonard will have a tough time leaving the city of Toronto once he settles in during his first season with the Raptors, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays. Green, who was included in the blockbuster deal that sent Leonard to Toronto, made the comment during an Inside the Green Room Podcast. “The city of Toronto is gonna be hard to turn down after being there. I’ve been going every summer for the past 10-plus years. It’s a great city and the fans are amazing. … I’m getting a great amount of feedback, a great amount of love and all types of different stuff from the fans. So it’s gonna be tough for him to turn down.” Leonard can opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
In other developments around the Atlantic Division:
- LeVert played a total of 30 games at the point last season when D’Angelo Russell was injured, Milholen notes, and posted averages of 13.2 PPG and 4.8 APG in 27.2 MPG. Russell will start for Brooklyn and the Nets also have free agent addition Shabazz Napier at that spot. LeVert can also be viewed as a long-term insurance policy since Russell could become a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension, Milholen adds.
- The early returns on Sean Marks‘ first-round picks bode well for next June’s draft, Jason Max Rose of NetsDaily.com opines. The Nets GM found two valuable assets during the last two drafts in LeVert and starting center Jarrett Allen, even though those picks were in the bottom third of the first round, Rose notes. Thus, Marks and his staff have shown they can not only identify talent but develop players as well, Rose adds. The Nets could have two first-rounders in June, their own pick plus the Nuggets’ top-12 protected pick acquired this summer.
- Dominating at the G League level would make for a successful rookie season for Celtics first-rounder Robert Williams, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. That’s where Williams will spend a good portion of the season, Blakely notes, and the big man must prove the left knee injury he’s dealing with won’t be a major issue. Williams also needs to show more maturity off the court, Blakely adds.
Hope Kawhi stays in Toronto. It would be good for the Eastern Conference.
Kawhi may just realize what a monster he can be in the east, and Toronto is gonna let him do basically whatever he wants, so if he likes freedom, a big market, and a pretty sweet city why not stay.
Raps have some great young players and that could help him see a future there. Lowrey only has another year or two of efficiency so he will need to see those other players step up or another FA to make him feel like TO is the future for him.
Or who knows the dude may just be hurting for LA Noone really knows.
Green was wrong before, I’m sure he’s wrong again…or will be.
Williams needs an alarm clock, but all comes with maturity as mentioned by Blakely.
Don’t know if Kawhi will stay in Toronto, it will have to be because he is happy there & likes the place, because I am afraid they ain’t gonna compete, Boston will be good for a while & Philly will certainly do some trips to the finals too. So Toronto the most they can expect is getting to ECF if either Philly or Boston has a bad season or meet themselves in the playoffs earlier on. But thew won’t truly compete.
No one knows what Kawhi wants, that was clear during this entire last year. He was on a top 5 team, with the supermax coming, in a system that could have kept him at the top for another decade.
On paper, it doesn’t get much better than that, so he obviously has considerations beyond the generic ones we always assume players have.
Exactly.
Kawhi has to contend with his own negative energies. If I were advising him, I would say to stay in Toronto until he gets tired of himself there, then move to LA.
Famous line: Everywhere you go, there you are.
One can’t shake off oneself by moving.
Here’s to robby bobby boy williams getting his “ish” together so he can ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTE in some capacity for the Celtics this season. That said, he’s really young and there’s NO RUSH for him to actually get called up with the pro league club this season. If it takes him a little longer, so be it.
Guy wasn’t a TOP 10 pick after all, people tend to LOSE SIGHT of that. If he ends up being a productive big man on both ends of the floor that can rebound, pass, get points in the paint and box out, I’ll be happy.