Kawhi Leonard Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kawhi Leonard Keeping ‘Open Mind’ About Future With Raptors?

August 23rd, 2018 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

While a report earlier this week stated that Kawhi Leonard‘s preference for next year is still to play in Los Angeles, joining either the Lakers or Clippers in free agency, that doesn’t mean that he has made up his mind about this being a one-and-done season with the Raptors. Appearing on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News expressed a belief that Toronto has a chance to re-sign Leonard in 2019.

“Based off of me talking to people within his circle, they’re going to go into this thing with an open mind and give this thing every last opportunity to work,” Young said, according to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. “Obviously, I think part of his mind, yes, let’s keep it real: I think he still feels like L.A. might be the destination, but the same time, he plans to go into this thing with an open mind, giving it every single shot in the world to make it work.”

When the Raptors agreed to trade for Leonard last month, team president Masai Ujiri did so with a “determination” that he could convince the star forward to remain with the franchise for more than one year, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted earlier this week. The Raptors are already taking early steps to try to win over Leonard, having reached a deal to hire former Spurs staffer Jeremy Castleberry, who is good friends with Kawhi.

Even if Leonard still favors Los Angeles for now, much can change over the course of a year. The Lakers and Clippers aren’t necessarily locks to make the playoffs in an incredibly competitive Western Conference, so if both L.A. teams have down years and a healthy Leonard helps lead the Raptors to a deep postseason run, that would presumably have an impact on his thinking as he hits the open market in 2019.

Leonard technically remains under contract for two more seasons, but can decline a 2019/20 player option and become a free agent next summer.

Atlantic Rumors: Fizdale, Leonard, Dukan, Kurucs

August 23rd, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Dana Gauruder

New Knicks coach David Fizdale has told Kristaps Porzingis to set lofty goals for himself and the franchise player appreciates getting pushed. In a WNBC TV interview that was relayed by Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, Fizdale said that he wants Porzingis, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL, to embrace the status that comes with being the team’s star. “He likes the challenge of me saying ‘I want him to be the MVP’ and ‘I want him to be the Defensive Player of the Year.’ That’s real competitors they want that and I’m going right at it with him. I want him to look at himself that way,” Fizdale said.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics made the right decision by holding onto Jayson Tatum rather than dealing him to the Spurs to Kawhi Leonard, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston opines. Boston would likely have needed to give up Tatum to land Leonard with no assurances that Leonard would stay beyond the upcoming season, Blakely continues. With Leonard’s questionable health and the Celtics already considered the Eastern Conference favorite, it didn’t make sense for Boston to roll the dice, Blakely adds.
New York’s G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, has acquired former Kings forward Duje Dukan, Ian Begley of ESPN tweets. Dukan was chosen by the Wizards’ new G League team, the Capital City Go-Go, in the expansion draft on Wednesday. Dukan has also played for the G League affiliates of the Kings, Bulls and Pacers.
Buyout issues caused Nets forward Rodions Kurucs to slide in the draft, according to a NetsDaily.com post. Kurucs’ Euro team, FC Barcelona, reportedly priced his buyout at $5MM until late last season and NBA teams can’t pay more than $700K toward an international player’s buyout. Buyout talks also prevented Kurucs from playing in the summer league. Kurucs, the 40th overall pick, signed a four-year, $7MM contract with Brooklyn.

Latest On Kawhi Leonard

August 21st, 2018 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors are making an addition to their coaching staff, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports and Ian Begley of ESPN.com, who both report that former Spurs staffer Jeremy Castleberry will join the club.

As Begley details, Castleberry is a close friend of new Raptor Kawhi Leonard, having played with the star forward in high school and at San Diego State. An assistant video coordinator with the Spurs, Castleberry will serve as a player development coach in Toronto, per Charania.

While it’s unlikely that the Raptors would be making the hire if they hadn’t previously acquired Leonard, Castleberry is – by all accounts – “more than qualified” for his new position, tweets Begley. According to Begley, the Spurs didn’t want to lose him from their staff.

With Leonard heading into a contract year, the Raptors figure to pull out all the stops in an effort to convince him that re-signing with the club and remaining in Toronto long-term is the right move. The addition of Castleberry will likely play at least a small part in the Raps’ season-long recruiting efforts.

Still, as has been reported since his trade request first went public earlier this year, Leonard’s preference is to eventually sign in Los Angeles, either with the Lakers or Clippers, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

And-Ones: 2019 FAs, MVP Odds, Oldest Vets

August 15th, 2018 at 7:38pm CST by clarkcrum

An ESPN panel was asked where they think some of the top-projected free agents of 2019 might end up next summer. The results were interesting, with the panel making a prediction for five players: Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson.

As we explored earlier this summer, both Irving and Butler have reportedly expressed interested in playing together, and the panel obviously took that into consideration, predicting both players to suit up for the Knicks next season. However, the Celtics were a close second for Irving.

Interestingly, the Lakers were the second-highest voted selection for both Butler and Thompson, and the first-place selection for Leonard by a wide-margin. Meanwhile, both Thompson and Durant are projected to return to the Warriors.

We have more from around the league:

Bovada has come out with their latest odds for next season’s MVP award, with LeBron James the favorite to win the award at 10/3. Anthony Davis is at 4/1, with Giannis Antetokounmpo at 4.5/1 and last season’s winner James Harden at 5.5/1.
Only three players who began their career before the turn of the century remain playing today. Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki, who debuted in February, 1999 during the lockout-shortened season of 1998/99; and Jason Terry, who debuted later that calendar year during the 1999/00 season.
Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders has created a list of players who he feels are prime candidates for a bounce-back season during 2018/19. The list includes Leonard, Markelle Fultz, Jabari Parker, Isaiah Thomas, Carmelo Anthony, and Danilo Gallinari.

Clippers Not Retaining Bruce Bowen As TV Analyst Following Kawhi Criticism

August 13th, 2018 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Clippers television analyst Bruce Bowen won’t be returning for the 2018/19 season, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, the decision is believed to be related to Bowen’s comments criticizing Kawhi Leonard during Leonard’s standoff with the Spurs earlier in the offseason.

As Wojnarowski explains, even though Bowen was under contract with Fox Sports West and not the Clippers, the club has “significant input” in the hiring of its TV broadcast team, and “withheld approval” on a contract extension for Bowen. The two sides had been expected to move forward on a new deal before Bowen made those critical comments about Leonard, per Wojnarowski.

During an appearance on Sirius XM Radio in June (link via ESPN.com), Bowen suggested there was “nothing but excuses” coming from Leonard’s camp, adding that he felt Kawhi was getting “bad advice.”

“First, it was, ‘Well I was misdiagnosed,'” Bowen said of Leonard at the time. “Look here: You got $18MM this year, and you think that they’re trying to rush you? You didn’t play for the most part a full season this year. And you’re the go-to guy, you’re the franchise and you want to say that they didn’t have your best interest at heart? Are you kidding me?”

While personnel decisions related to television broadcasts typically don’t fall within Hoops Rumors’ purview, the Clippers’ apparent motivations here are of particular interest. As Wojnarowski observes, eliminating Bowen from their broadcast seems to be a “clear message” from the Clips about how they plan to “protect star players” within the organization.

The Clippers are poised to have a ton of cap room available during the summer of 2019, and will likely pursue Leonard – who reportedly wants to play in Los Angeles – along with other star free agents. Bowen’s dismissal from the club’s broadcast “speaks to the high-stakes repercussions” surrounding next year’s free agent class, Wojnarowski notes.

Kawhi Leonard Publishes Letter Thanking Spurs, Fans

August 9th, 2018 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

Despite the fact that the NBA rumor mill was flooded with whispers from Kawhi Leonard‘s camp this summer, we heard next to nothing from Leonard himself. That changed this morning, with Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports relaying a letter published by the star forward in the wake of the trade that sent him from the Spurs to the Raptors.

“I have been going back and forth the last few weeks trying to figure out the right things to say, and it comes down to two simple words: THANK YOU!” Leonard writes. “My family and I want to say THANK YOU to the entire Spurs organization and the people and fans of San Antonio.”

Leonard’s letter goes on to specifically thank head coach Gregg Popovich, his teammates during his Spurs years, and the San Antonio fans, adding that he’ll “never forget what we have shared and accomplished together.”

While Leonard’s statement expresses the right kind of sentiment, it may be too little, too late for many Spurs fans, considering it comes after months of drama related to his trade request, and weeks after that drama was seemingly resolved with the Raptors trade.

We likely won’t hear from Leonard publicly again until September, when the Raptors host a media day to kick off their training camp.

Stein’s Latest: Sixers, Warriors, Rockets, Nets

July 31st, 2018 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers’ much-anticipated offseason fell far short of expectations, Marc Stein of the New York Times opines in his latest newsletter (Sign-up link).

Philadelphia didn’t come close to signing either LeBron James or Paul George in the free agent market and couldn’t swing a deal with the Spurs for Kawhi Leonard, Stein continues. With Leonard landing in Toronto, the Sixers no longer have a clear path to the conference finals. They’re also still looking for a GM and the most consequential moves they made were re-signing J.J. Redick and dealing for Wilson Chandler, Stein adds.

We have more of Stein’s insights:

The Warriors were the biggest winners in the offseason. They not only stunned the NBA world by signing DeMarcus Cousins but they also made some underrated moves, such as locking up coach Steve Kerr to a long-term contract and signing serviceable forward Jonas Jerebko.
The Rockets’ offseason has been unfairly criticized. Re-signing Clint Capela to a team-friendly contract was a major coup and they should extract more production out of Carmelo Anthony than any other team in the league could.
The Nets will be active on the free agent market next summer but they won’t spend money simply because they’ll have a lot of cap space. Kyrie Irving will be a target if he declines his player option and becomes a free agent.

And-Ones: Kelly, O’Bryant, Leonard, Booker, Curry

July 30th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Lakers and Hawks forward Ryan Kelly has signed a contract to play for SunRockeres Shibuya of Japan next season, according to a Sportando report. Kelly spent last season with Real Betis in Spain and averaged 13.3 PPG and 4.5 RPG.

Kelly, 27, last appeared in the NBA during the 2016/17 season with Atlanta, when he saw action in 16 games. He spent his first three seasons with the Lakers. The 6’11” power forward has averaged 6.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 19.2 MPG in his 163-game NBA career.

In other basketball news domestically and overseas:

Maccabi Tel Aviv is close to signing power forward Johnny O’Bryant, according to another Sportando report. O’Bryant, 25, played 36 games last season with the Hornets, averaging 4.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 10.5 MPG. O’Bryant, 25, was traded to the Knicks in February and then waived. The 6’9” O’Bryant has also played for the Nuggets and Bucks, who selected him 36th overall in the 2014 draft.
Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, Victor Oladipo and Ben Simmons are among the dark-horse candidates to win the Most Valuable Player award, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. A healthy Leonard would quickly become a prime MVP candidate, O’Connor opines, while Booker could have a breakout campaign after showing steady progress in his first three seasons.
DeMarcus Cousins (Warriors) and Isaiah Thomas (Nuggets) are obvious choices as the best bargains in free agency but as Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated notes, there are several other players who could fall into that category. Ed Davis (Nets), Seth Curry (Trail Blazers) and Brook Lopez (Bucks) should all provide production that far outweigh the deals that they signed, in Mahoney’s view.

Western Notes: Capela, Durant, Leonard, Williams

July 27th, 2018 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Clint Capela‘s new five-year contract with the Rockets on Friday, initially reported to be worth $90MM, is technically guaranteed for $80MM with $10MM in incentives, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Those annual incentives include $1MM for reaching the Western Conference finals, $500K for finishing with a 30% defensive rebounding rate, and $500K for shooting at least 65% from the free throw line, according to Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post (Twitter link).

We have more from the Western Conference:

Kevin Durant‘s decision to take a one-plus-one contract with the Warriors kept his options open beyond the upcoming season, as he explained to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Durant will make $30MM the first year with a $31.5MM player option for the 2019/20 season. “The [one-plus-one] was the perfect thing for me to do, to keep things open for me — financially and what I want to do,” he told Charania. “It’s just one of those things.”
The Celtics offered at least two of the first-round picks they own from other teams for Kawhi Leonard, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN. Those picks, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports writes, include the higher of the Kings’ and 76ers’ pick next summer, unless it’s the top overall pick; the Grizzlies’ first-rounder, which is top-eight protected next summer and top-six protected in 2020; and the Clippers’ pick, which is lottery-protected the next two summers and then converts to a second-rounder. The Spurs instead decided to take another All-Star, DeMar DeRozan, in a package for Leonard. The way the Spurs organization treated Leonard may have had more to do with his departure than any issues with his teammates, Feldman notes in a separate piece, relaying reporting from Lowe and ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
C.J. Williams is a perfect waiver claim candidate, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Williams, who was waived by the Clippers on Friday, is on a $1.4MM non-guaranteed contract with $125K in protection if he’s not waived by opening night, Marks continues. His $1.6MM salary in 2019/20 has a $200K guarantee if he’s not waived by the first game, Marks adds.
The Nuggets’ second unit will likely be led by Mason Plumlee, Isaiah Thomas, Trey Lyles and Torrey Craig, Chris Dempsey of the team’s website predicts. Dempsey dispenses his views on recent developments involving the club in his latest mailbag.

Atlantic Rumors: DeRozan, Casey, Lowry, Fizdale, Bird

July 27th, 2018 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The former Raptors’ leading scorer and head coach are mad at team president Masai Ujiri, Josh Lewenberg of TSN reports. DeRozan publicly criticized Ujiri on social media after being traded to the Spurs in the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster, feeling that Ujiri misled him during a summer-league conversation. DeRozan said during USA Basketball minicamp that he’s not interested in reconciling with Ujiri. “No reason to have a relationship,” he said. “I’m done. I’m done. It’s just done for me, from my end.” Dwane Casey, now the Pistons’ head coach after getting fired by the Raptors after the season, also has lingering issues with Ujiri, according to Lewenberg. They haven’t spoken since the firing and Casey still feels plenty of resentment toward Ujiri, Lewenberg adds.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

DeRozan’s former backcourt partner, Kyle Lowry, doesn’t sound thrilled about the trade, according to Lewenberg. Lowry claims he has no relationship with Leonard and has yet to speak with him. Lowry was evasive when asked specifically about the trade. (Twitter links).
New Knicks coach David Fizdale met with star player Kristaps Porzingis in Latvia and appears to be building a strong relationship with the rehabbing power forward, Ian Begley of ESPN writes. Fizdale said he’s trying to keep Porzingis in the loop as he works his way back from knee surgery. “We’ve talked about his rehab. We’ve talked about how we want to play, our style of play,” Fizdale told Begley. “Talked a lot about the culture that we’re building. We want to make sure that he comes back strong and healthy and we don’t want to rush it. … I’ve tried to make sure that he’s – we’ve been in communication on every decision that we’ve made.”
The Celtics’ signing of Jabari Bird is an example of how two-way contracts should work, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. Bird played for Boston on a two-way contract last season after getting drafted in the second round. The 6’6” swingman showed enough development to earn a spot on the 15-man roster, getting signed to a two-year contract this week.