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Kawhi Leonard Fallout: Clippers, Lakers, Raptors

July 6th, 2019 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

After reaching deals late on Friday night to add Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to their roster, the Clippers are the new favorites to win the 2019 NBA title, according to the oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag. Unlike in recent years – when Golden State was the overwhelming frontrunner – the Clippers are only currently a slight favorite over the Lakers and Bucks, but it’s still a remarkable turnaround for a team that looked 24 hours ago as if it might strike out entirely in free agency.

The acquisitions of Leonard and George show how far the Clippers have come this decade, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who says the organization has “arrived” as a premier destination for star players.

Meanwhile, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets that Leonard and his camp found it “comical” that every report this week claiming to have identified Kawhi’s likely destination mentioned the Raptors or Lakers, but never the Clippers. While it’s not clear if the Clippers were always his No. 1 choice, Leonard reportedly worked hard this week to try to get George to join him in Los Angeles, as we detail in our round-up of PG13-related items.

Here are several more Kawh-related notes related to the two suitors that missed out on Leonard:

Lakers:

As of about two hours before Leonard chose the Clippers on Friday night, his camp was asking the Lakers to delay the Anthony Davis trade until late Saturday or Sunday, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who tweets that no specific reason was given.
If Leonard had signed with the Lakers, he would have had to do so before the Davis trade was formally completed in order to maximize his earnings, since the AD deal would’ve cut into the Lakers’ cap room. So it’s possible he was leaving a Plan B available if the Clippers were unable to acquire George — for what it’s worth, the Clippers reportedly believed Kawhi would join the Lakers if they didn’t trade for PG13.
It didn’t help the Lakers’ cause that a ton of specific details about Magic Johnson‘s meeting with Leonard leaked to the media, tweets Cris Carter of Fox Sports 1. I doubt that was a deciding factor for Leonard and his camp, but Carter is plugged-in with Kawhi’s group, so if he’s hearing it, it seems likely to be coming from them.
Losing the waiting game for Leonard was a worst-case scenario for the Lakers, who missed out on a handful of potential targets during the first week of free agency as they pursued Kawhi, writes Bill Oram of The Athletic. The team has since pivoted by reaching deals with Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, and Quinn Cook.

Raptors:

Leonard told his Raptors teammates via text message that he was leaving just as the news was breaking late on Friday night, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).
Losing Leonard – and starting shooting guard Danny Green – sets the Raptors on a new path, according to Blake Murphy of The Athletic, who explores what’s next for the franchise. While there will be calls to blow things up, Murphy suggests that the current Raptors should still be a playoff team, adding that Toronto may be reluctant to take on unwanted multiyear contracts in any trades, given how much money will come off its cap in 2020.
Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) speculates that the Raptors will explore potential trades of their veterans on expiring contracts – such as Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka – as they look ahead to building around young players like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.
Eric Koreen of The Athletic acknowledges that Masai Ujiri will likely gauge the value of his veterans on the trade market, but agrees with Murphy that the Raptors are more likely to keep their roster more or less intact in a transition year.

Paul George Trade Roundup: Kawhi, Davis, Trade Request, Durant

July 6th, 2019 at 10:31am CST by marksuleymanov

In a shocking move early Saturday morning, the Thunder agreed to trade one of their two superstars, Paul George, to the Clippers. The move facilitated the Clippers pairing George with Kawhi Leonard, who agreed to a four-year pact with the organization earlier in the morning.

The landscape of the league has been altered with the Clippers and their crosscourt rival Lakers expected to dominate headlines this forthcoming season. The process that led to the Clippers becoming one of the NBA’s powerhouses included a lot of moving parts, a lot of communication and a heavily involved Leonard.

Before George to L.A. became a possibility, Leonard had reached out to Kevin Durant about the possibility of the duo teaming up with the Clippers, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Leonard told Durant he “admired him, and had tremendous respect for him as a competitor,” according to Shelburne. While Durant appreciated the recruitment from Leonard, he was already set on pairing with Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan in Brooklyn.

Therefore, the process moved on and Leonard set his sights on pairing with another superstar: Paul George.

Here are some more tidbits on George being traded to the Clippers:

In Shelburne’s report, she noted that Leonard’s camp attempted to delay the consummation of the Anthony Davis to the Lakers trade until “as late as Sunday.” No reason was provided to the Lakers, only that the request be honored if the organization wanted to stay in the running for his services. We had relayed that Leonard’s free agency decision was holding up a series of moves, the Davis trade being one of them.
Shelburne also noted that Leonard, who is known for his quiet demeanor both on and off the court, took an active, engaging role during free agency. “For a quiet guy, he’s a hell of a recruiter,” one source told her. Sam Amick of The Athletic heard a similar account of Leonard’s activity during free agency: “Kawhi recruited the hell out of him,” one source told Amick. “He did a number on Paul.”
The Thunder organization was blindsided by George’s trade request, ESPN’s Royce Young writes. It was just one year ago when George decided to forego free agency and re-sign with OKC on a long-term pact. The Palmdale, California, native had long been rumored to want to play for his hometown Lakers; now he will return home but will suit up for the Clippers.
With George gone, the Thunder secured quite the haul their now-former superstar. While OKC had planned to compete next season, led by George and Russell Westbrook, the focus is now on a rebuild. Brett Dawson of The Athletic examined how and why the trade went down and which directions are available to the Thunder. Whether it’s dealing Westbrook and going full rebuild or trying to build a roster more suited toward their MVP’s style, OKC has a lot of decisions to make.

Lakers, Quinn Cook Agree To Two-Year Deal

July 6th, 2019 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have reached an agreement to sign guard Quinn Cook to a two-year, $6MM contract, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Cook became an unrestricted free agent earlier this week when the Warriors withdrew his qualifying offer.

Cook, 26, was a solid contributor off the bench for the Warriors in 2018/19, averaging 6.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.6 APG with a .465/.405/.769 shooting line in 74 games (14.3 MPG).

However, the Dubs had little flexibility to bring back all their free agents and rotation players as a result of the D’Angelo Russell sign-and-trade deal that will hard-cap team salary at $138.9MM. Cook was one of the odd men out in Golden State, along with Andre Iguodala, Jordan Bell, and likely DeMarcus Cousins and Shaun Livingston too.

Since missing out on Kawhi Leonard, the Lakers have committed a significant chunk of their $32MM in cap room to deals for Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The team also agreed to terms with JaVale McGee and appears likely to slot him into its room exception, so Cook will probably be signed using cap space as well.

Cook is the first point guard the Lakers have added this offseason to a roster that will be led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma. The club also reached minimum-salary deals with swingman Troy Daniels and forward Jared Dudley.

Cook is close with James and is also friends with Davis, having played with him briefly in New Orleans in 2017, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers To Re-Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee

July 6th, 2019 at 2:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers continue to act quickly in moving on to their backup plans in free agency after losing out on Kawhi Leonard. Having already reached a deal to sign Danny Green, the Lakers are also on track to re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and JaVale McGee, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter links).

According to Shelburne, Caldwell-Pope is expected to sign a two-year, $16MM contract to remain in Los Angeles, while the Lakers have agreed to a two-year, $8.2MM deal for McGee.

Caldwell-Pope, who – like teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis – is represented by agent Rich Paul, has spent the last two seasons with the Lakers, averaging 12.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.1 SPG with a .428/.365/.824 shooting line in 156 games (28.8 MPG). He’ll join Green as the go-to three-and-D options on a roster that had initially been heavy on frontcourt players.

As for McGee, he enjoyed arguably the best season of his 11-year NBA career for the Lakers in 2018/19, averaging 12.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 2.0 BPG in 75 games, including 62 as the club’s starting center.

With Green set to sign a two-year, $30MM contract, the Lakers have now committed more than half of their $32MM in cap space. ESPN’s Bobby Marks suggests (via Twitter) that L.A. will have about $11.5MM in room left after this flurry of deals, while Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter) believes that number could be as high as $14.7MM, depending on how the contracts are structured.

Both of those figures assume that McGee’s contract would come out of the $4.8MM room exception, though the Lakers could theoretically use that exception on another player if McGee is re-signed using cap space.

In addition to signing Green, Caldwell-Pope, and McGee, the Lakers will also add Jared Dudley and Troy Daniels on minimum-salary contracts once their cap room has been exhausted.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lakers To Sign Danny Green To Two-Year Deal

July 6th, 2019 at 1:29am CST by Luke Adams

While his longtime teammate Kawhi Leonard heads to the Clippers, free agent shooting guard Danny Green had opted to sign with Los Angeles’ other team, announcing on Twitter that he’ll join the Lakers.

Shams Charania of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter) that the Lakers have reached a deal with Green, while ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provides the financial details, tweeting that it’ll be a two-year, $30MM contract.

Green, 32, was part of the trade package last summer that sent Leonard to the Raptors, and enjoyed one of his best seasons as a pro in Toronto. Green averaged 10.3 PPG and knocked down a career-best 45.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc in 80 games (all starts), establishing a career high with 2.5 made threes per game. He also nearly earned a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive team for his work on perimeter scorers, and helped Toronto win its first-ever championship.

Although he generated plenty of interest on the open market within the last week, Green opted to wait out Leonard’s decision before deciding on his own team. If Kawhi had chosen to re-sign with the Raptors, Green likely would have had interest in running it back and trying to defend their title.

However, with Leonard on track to become a Clipper, Green’s decision came down to the Lakers and Mavericks, both of whom put big offers on the table, tweets David Aldridge of The Athletic. The Clippers were also believed to be in the mix for Green earlier in the week, but landing Kawhi reduced their ability to offer the veteran shooting guard a market-value deal.

The Lakers, who had earmarked $32MM in cap room for Leonard, will now use that space on Green and other players, adding some depth to a roster headlined by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma.

The club has already reportedly reached new deals with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and JaVale McGee in addition to agreeing to terms with Green.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Davis Deal Could Be Delayed If Leonard Remains Undecided

July 5th, 2019 at 10:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Anthony Davis trade could be delayed if Kawhi Leonard doesn’t choose a team by noon ET on Saturday, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Bobby Marks report.

The complex, four-way series of deals involving the Lakers, Pelicans, Hawks and Wizards can become official Saturday. The Lakers would lose their ability to give Leonard a max contract if any of the other teams involved decline to delay the trade. However, those teams are expected to cooperate, according to Marks.

The Lakers and Pelicans agreed on the initial trade in which Los Angeles sent Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks to New Orleans for Davis. Los Angeles opened up a $32MM salary slot by agreeing to ship Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones and a 2022 second-round pick to Washington, which sent cash to New Orleans. Davis also agreed to waive his $4MM trade kicker.

New Orleans and Atlanta made a big draft-night swap as an offshoot of the Davis trade. New Orleans agreed to move the No. 4 overall pick, forward De’Andre Hunter, they received from the Lakers as well as a late second-rounder along with Solomon Hill‘s contract to the Hawks for two first-rounders, center Jaxson Hayes and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, an early second-round pick and a first-rounder next year.

Without the delay, the Lakers could only offer Leonard a four-year, $127MM contract — $11MM less than the max over the life of the deal.

Leonard’s indecision also may cause some other delays.

The Pelicans won’t be able to sign free agent guard J.J. Redick until the Hill trade is finished. Hill is ticketed to the Grizzlies in another trade once the Davis deal is completed. The rookies involved in those proposed transactions, as well as the three young players headed to the Wizards, aren’t allowed to play summer league ball until everything is finalized.

No Kawhi Leonard Announcement Expected Today

July 5th, 2019 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Our wait for Kawhi Leonard‘s free agent decision appears likely to extend until at least Saturday. According to Cris Carter of Fox Sports 1 (Twitter link), Leonard remains undecided and doesn’t plan to finalize and announce his decision today.

Interestingly, Carter also adds that Leonard is expected to sign a long-term contract with whichever team he chooses. There had been some speculation that he might sign a one- or two-year deal in order to potentially line himself up for a larger maximum-salary contract in 2021, when he has 10+ years of NBA experience. Carter suggests that’s not the plan.

[RELATED: Poll: Which team will Kawhi Leonard choose?]

The NBA’s July moratorium will end on Saturday at noon eastern time, at which point teams will be able to finalize the free agent deals and trades that they’ve agreed upon over the last week.

While that doesn’t exactly represent a deadline for Leonard, the Raptors, Clippers, and especially the Lakers will presumably be hoping a decision comes in by then. The Clippers and Lakers each have $32MM+ in cap room that they could commit to other players if they don’t land Kawhi.

The Lakers would lose some of their cap room if they finalize the Anthony Davis trade with the Pelicans right away when the moratorium lifts — their $32MM in cap space relies on signing free agents first, then completing the Davis deal using salary-matching rules, since AD’s salary will exceed their total outgoing salaries. So if Leonard’s decision extends beyond the end of the July moratorium, they’ll want to wait a little longer to finalize that trade.

However, the Pelicans have a subsequent trade with the Hawks that hinges on getting the No. 4 pick from the Lakers, and Atlanta will flip one of the draft picks involved in that deal in another trade, and so on. Several teams – including the Wizards, Sixers, and Pistons, who are also all linked to the series of moves – will be anxious to complete those trades to get their draftees into Summer League action in Las Vegas.

Other free agents, including Danny Green, could also be impacted by the wait for Leonard, since their options will be impacted by which teams still have cap space available. NBA free agency appears to be a little stuck at the moment as everyone waits on Kawhi — no deals have been agreed upon since Wednesday night.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Green, Grizzlies, Ingram

July 5th, 2019 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

On the latest episode of his “Inside the Green Room” podcast, free agent shooting guard Danny Green confirmed that the Clippers, Lakers, and especially the Mavericks are among the teams trying to pry him away from the Raptors.

“I’ve known [Mavericks owner] Mark Cuban and [head coach] Rick Carlisle for a long time. They have a really good interest in me,” Green said (link via SportsDayDFW.com). “I like what they have to offer. They’re coming on strong. Mark Cuban is a strong bidder. He’s putting the pressure on me to make a decision soon.”

The Mavericks could have up to about 23MM in cap room available, so it makes sense that they’d want a decision from Green soon, with the July moratorium set to end on Saturday. That cap room could be used on other targets, including perhaps restricted free agent Delon Wright.

When he reported on Thursday that the Mavericks were planning on offer sheet for Wright, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News said it wouldn’t affect the team’s pursuit of Green. Today, Townsend clarifies (via Twitter) that’s because the Mavs hope to have an answer from Green by the time the moratorium ends at noon on Saturday, so they should have an idea of how much cap space they’d have left for Wright at that point.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Speaking to Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link), Jonas Valanciunas explained why he agreed to terms quickly with a retooling Grizzlies team on a three-year, $45MM deal after free agency opened. “I wanted to settle down in one place for a longer time,” Valanciunas said. “[The] Grizzlies had hopes on me and I’m happy to be part of this. We’re young, we’re rebuilding, but we have high aims. It’s interesting to see how we’re gonna look among the other teams.”
Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian takes stock of where the Grizzlies‘ offseason stands, closing the book on the Chandler Parsons era, breaking down the roster situation, and suggesting that the club appears unlikely to guarantee Avery Bradley‘s $12.96MM salary for 2019/20. Bradley’s contract would become guaranteed if he remains under contract through July 8.
Will Guillory of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at how Brandon Ingram might fit into the Pelicans‘ short- and long-term plans after the team made deals to add J.J. Redick and Derrick Favors to its roster this week.

Poll: Which Team Will Kawhi Leonard Choose?

July 5th, 2019 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

While every other top-15 player in our list of 2019’s best free agents came off the board on June 30, Kawhi Leonard took his time, lining up meetings and considering all his options. Five days later, he’s still weighing his decision.

For much of the season, the Clippers were considered Leonard’s most likely destination by league insiders. The team repeatedly sent executives to Raptors games, cleared its cap to make a run at Leonard (and another star), and gained a reputation as an increasingly stable, well-run organization.

However, after striking out on other top free agents this summer, the Clippers no longer look like a clear-cut favorite for Leonard, as they face intense competition for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year from two other clubs.

One of those clubs wasn’t a destination that was on Leonard’s wish list when he asked out of San Antonio last summer. However, the Raptors built a relationship with the star forward over the course of the most successful season in team history, helping him stay healthy and surrounding him with the talent necessary to win a championship.

The trust that Leonard established with his teammates, the front office, the coaches, and the training staff in Toronto could be an important factor as he weighs his decision, and no star has ever left in free agency immediately after winning a title. Still, rumors persist that the Southern California native wants to return home to Los Angeles, which was his reported desire when his trade request first surfaced in 2018.

That alleged desire to move to Los Angeles helped fuel the Clippers rumors, but it also makes the Lakers a very viable landing spot for the Finals MVP. Having secured a deal for Anthony Davis and nearly carved out enough cap room for a maximum-salary slot, the Lakers can sell Leonard on an AD-LeBron James-Kawhi “Big Three” that would immediately make the franchise the overwhelming frontrunner for the 2020 title.

There has been increasing chatter over the last week or two that the Lakers are a strong contender for Leonard, with Cris Carter of Fox Sports 1 suggesting this morning on First Things First (video link) that he views the Lakers as the best fit for Kawhi.

Carter has a long-standing relationship with the San Diego State alum and his reps, so it’s possible his opinion is being influenced by what he has heard from Leonard’s camp. However, as of late, the rumor mill has pointed as much toward a Raptors return as a move to the Lakers.

In other words, no one really knows anything. But for what it’s worth, Carter believes an announcement from Leonard’s camp will come today. I probably wouldn’t recommend betting the house on that, but with the process apparently nearing an end, we want to get your predictions on Leonard’s decision.

Will Kawhi be a Clipper, Raptor, or Laker in 2019/20?

Vote in our poll below, then to the comment section to explain your thinking.

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Anthony Davis' Decision To Waive Kicker Shows Commitment To Team

July 4th, 2019 at 9:28pm CST by Austin Kent

While it’s quite likely Anthony Davis will make up the $4MM trade kicker he agreed to waive on his way to the Lakers with other opportunities, Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times writes that it’s a sign of his commitment to the new franchise.