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Latest On Kawhi Leonard

June 25th, 2019 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri expressed confidence today that his team will be able to re-sign Kawhi Leonard, telling reporters that he believes the franchise has “built a trust” with the All-NBA forward and adding that there have been positive discussions between the two sides.

Still, there will be plenty of rival suitors looking to lure Leonard back south of the border. Here are the latest rumblings on a few of those contenders:

A meeting between Leonard and the Clippers is tentatively scheduled for July 2, Frank Isola of The Athletic hears (Twitter link). Teams technically aren’t permitted to contact free agents to set up meetings until June 29, but it won’t be surprising if some plans are in the works before then. We’ll have to wait to see if this is one of them.
Chris Broussard of FOX Sports has heard that the Lakers won’t be in the running for Leonard, even if they can create enough cap room to offer a max or near-max contract (link via Wil Leitner of FOX Sports Radio).
Despite rumblings that the Mavericks are confident about getting a meeting with Leonard, Mike Fisher of 247Sports.com says it’s “premature” to go that far. According to Fisher, the Mavs would love to meet with Kawhi, but “don’t know yet” if he’ll consider them.
The Knicks remain hopeful about getting a meeting with Leonard in free agency, a source tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.

Raptors Notes: Ujiri, Kawhi, Gasol, Green, Siakam

June 25th, 2019 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite rumors that the Wizards might try to make a run at him this offseason to become their head of basketball operations, Masai Ujiri told reporters today that he isn’t going anywhere. As Blake Murphy of The Athletic (Twitter links) relays, the Raptors‘ president of basketball operations said he envisions a long-term future in Toronto.

Ujiri acknowledged that potential interest from other clubs is a “blessing,” but said that he’s happy and has grown as a person in Toronto, and wants to win more with the Raptors.

Here’s more from Ujiri’s end-of-season press conference today:

Asked about Kawhi Leonard‘s upcoming free agency, Ujiri said he always feels “confident” about the Raptors’ chances, but will respect the star forward’s decision no matter what he does. Ujiri thinks the Raps have “built a trust” with Kawhi, adding that there have been positive talks lately (Twitter links via Murphy).
According to Ujiri, he texted with Leonard last night and talked to “Uncle Dennis” today, and he believes there will be constant communication between the two sides. He’s leaving plans for a meeting up to Leonard’s camp, tweets Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun.
The Raptors will be in a bit of a holding pattern this offseason until Leonard makes his decision, Ujiri admitted, but he’s fine with that. “We’ll wait,” he said, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). “He’s our player and he’s a superstar on our team and we’ll wait on that.”
Ujiri would like to bring everybody back for next season, including Marc Gasol, who has a player option for 2019/20, and Danny Green, who will be an unrestricted free agent (Twitter link via Lewenberg).
Pascal Siakam, the NBA’s Most Improved Player, is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason and Ujiri expects to meet with Siakam’s agent during Summer League next month (Twitter link via Murphy).

Pascal Siakam Named Most Improved Player

June 24th, 2019 at 8:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam earned the league’s Most Improved Player award. The announcement was made at the annual NBA awards show on Monday.

Nets guard D’Angelo Russell and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox were the other finalists.

Siakam emerged as a major component for Toronto in his third season, as he averaged 16.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 3.1 APG for the champions. He posted averages of 7.3/4.5/2.0 in the same categories while mainly coming off the bench in 2017/18. He also became a 3-point threat, connecting on 36.9% of his long-range tries compared to 22% in his second NBA season.

Siakam was also Hoops Rumors’ choice for the award.

Raptors Issue QOs To Patrick McCaw, Nando De Colo

June 24th, 2019 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have tendered qualifying offers to guards Patrick McCaw and Nando De Colo, making them restricted free agents, tweets Keith Smith of RealGM.com. RealGM’s log of official transactions confirms that Toronto issued those QOs on Friday.

As we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, qualifying offers are essentially one-year contract offers worth a set amount that give a team the right of first refusal on a free agent. If McCaw or De Colo signs an offer sheet with another team, Toronto will now have the opportunity to match that offer.

McCaw, who had a lengthy restricted free agency standoff with the Warriors last summer, briefly joined the Cavaliers before eventually ending up with the Raptors. The 23-year-old played a modest role in Toronto, averaging 2.7 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 26 games (13.2 MPG). McCaw, who won his third consecutive NBA title in 2019, has a QO worth about $1.88MM.

As for De Colo, he hasn’t actually played in the NBA since 2014, but the Raptors have held his rights since then by issuing him a qualifying offer every year while he played overseas. The veteran guard recently left CSKA Moscow and is looking to return to the NBA, so it will be interesting to see whether Toronto makes it a priority to retain him. His QO is worth about $1.83MM.

In other Raptors news, the team agreed to a deal with undrafted rookie Sagaba Konate out of West Virginia, a league source tells Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link). Scotto’s report doesn’t include additional details, but Blake Murphy of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) that Kobate will sign an Exhibit 10 contract, which would give him a spot on Toronto’s 20-man offseason roster.

A 6’8″ forward, Konate was limited to just eight games in 2018/19 due to a lingering knee injury, but opted to go pro as an early entrant anyway. In his last full college season in ’17/18, he averaged 10.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 3.2 BPG in 36 games as a sophomore.

Kawhi Leonard Declines 2019/20 Player Option

June 23rd, 2019 at 6:35pm CST by JD Shaw

Raptors star Kawhi Leonard is declining his $21.3MM player option for the 2019/20 season and will test unrestricted free agency this summer, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Leonard will seriously consider re-signing with the Raptors, Haynes adds, with several rival executives believing Toronto is the front-runner for his services on the open market.

Leonard is coming off an historic playoff stretch with the team that saw him average 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest, with the 27-year-old winning his second NBA championship and Finals MVP. He formed a strong bond with his teammates, coaches and fans this season, a positive sign for a franchise coming off its first NBA title.

Toronto is the only team that can offer Leonard a five-year, $190MM maximum-salary contract. The Clippers are expected to be a major suitor for Leonard, as Haynes notes, with the appeal of returning to southern California likely to be a strong factor in Leonard’s decision. A handful of other teams may also secure a meeting with him.

Free agency opens on June 30 at 6:00pm eastern time this year, with the moratorium period lasting until July 6 at noon. After that, teams can officially sign their respective players to contracts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Danny Green Believes Kawhi Leonard More Likely To Return To Raptors Than

June 23rd, 2019 at 5:31pm CST by JD Shaw

Raptors free agent Danny Green believes the percentage of Kawhi Leonard re-signing with the team is higher than him leaving, Julia Kreuz of Sportsnet relays. Leonard will be forced to make a difficult decision in free agency, potentially between the Raptors and his hometown Clippers. “The city, the fans have done their job, the organization’s done their job. it’s going to be a hard place to turn down,” Green said. “[You] have a great team and have a city, people, fans that love you and are willing to give you damn near everything. And a condo… and some food… and a plane… and dessert after that, who knows. They give you everything, the world, and then some.”

Knicks Notes: Durant, Wilkes, Draft, Cavanaugh

June 22nd, 2019 at 7:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks will do their homework on Kevin Durant before committing to a max offer, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. The team will request access to Durant’s medical records and will evaluate his long-term chances for a full recovery from the ruptured Achilles he suffered in the NBA Finals.

New York’s front office recognizes that Durant will be 32 by the time he can play again in 2020/21 and may be dealing with a “load management” situation that will limit both the number of games he can play and his minutes in each one.

Sources tell Berman that the Knicks believe they’re still in the running for Kawhi Leonard, even though he seems more likely to stay in Toronto or go to one of the Los Angeles teams, and Kyrie Irving, who is rumored to be headed to Brooklyn.

There’s more from New York City:

After agreeing to sign UCLA forward Kris Wilkes to a two-way contract, GM Scott Perry said the team never expected him to be available, Berman relays in a separate story. Wilkes was projected as a second-round pick after leading the Bruins in scoring at 17.4 points per game. “Kind of surprised (Wilkes) didn’t get drafted, similar to Allonzo Trier last year,’’ Perry said. “Winning player, can score, 6-8, highly rated player coming out of high school. Exciting to add him to our mix and see how we can develop him.”
The Knicks were convinced about taking R.J. Barrett with the No. 3 pick, even though they worked out Darius Garland and Coby White shortly before the draft, relays Ian Begley of SNY.TV. Perry explained that the team was taking advantage of having the players in town. “You want to get a chance to see as many prospects as you can,” he said. “Learn more about them, learn their stories. Also further evaluate, you dot your final I’s and crossing the final T’s. So that’s what went into our thinking.”
Tyler Cavanaugh, who spent this season on a two-way contract with the Jazz, will join the Knicks’ Summer League team, tweets Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News. The 25-year-old power forward got into just 11 NBA games during the year, spending most of his time in the G League. He played 39 games for the Hawks in 2017/18, starting on a two-way deal before earning a standard contract.

Raptors Mulling Final Pitch For Kawhi

June 22nd, 2019 at 9:20am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors’ pitch to Kawhi Leonard to remain with the organization is still being discussed but is near completion, GM Bobby Webster told the Toronto Star’s Doug Smith and other media members. “There’s definitely more (things to be done),” Webster said. “As you can imagine, there are a ton of thoughts and ideas.” Aside from the financial implications — the Raptors can offer their superstar a five-year deal worth nearly $190MM while other suitors can give him a four-year, $140.6MM contract — the organization is expected to emphasize its championship pedigree, the medical staff that earned Leonard’s trust, and a chance to keep winning in familiar surroundings, Smith adds.

The Raptors had some discussions about moving into the late first round or early second round of the draft but weren’t willing to give up future assets, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets.

Nando De Colo Aiming To Return To NBA

June 21st, 2019 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 21: Having parted ways with CKSA Moscow, De Colo plans on returning to the NBA this summer, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who adds that the veteran guard could command an “ample” market.

“I have asked my agents to explore NBA opportunities over the coming weeks,” De Colo told ESPN. “I am excited for the next challenge in my career.”

As noted below, De Colo will be a restricted free agent if the Raptors issue him a qualifying offer.

JUNE 3: Former Spurs and Raptors guard Nando De Colo is considering leaving CSKA Moscow to return to the NBA when he becomes a free agent next month, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).

De Colo, who will turn 32 later this month, was a second-round pick in the 2009 NBA draft and eventually arrived stateside in 2012. However, he ultimately spent just two seasons in the league before heading back overseas. In 119 games for San Antonio and Toronto, he averaged 3.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.7 APG with a .429/.363/.835 shooting line in 11.9 minutes per contest.

Because De Colo only has two years of NBA experience under his belt and Toronto has never renounced his rights, he’d be a restricted free agent if he returns to the NBA. If the Raptors issue a qualifying offer (worth less than $2MM) again this summer, that would give them the right of first refusal, allowing them to match any offer sheet he signs with another team.

While a return to the NBA is one option this offseason for De Colo, it’s not the only possibility. Carchia suggests (via Twitter) that another stint in Spain’s ACB is a viable scenario for the French guard, who previously played for Spanish club Valencia from 2009-12.

De Colo has played for CSKA Moscow since his time in the NBA ended in 2014, winning EuroLeague championships with the club in both 2016 and 2019.

Woj: Kawhi Could Meet With Knicks, Nets, Sixers

June 21st, 2019 at 12:56am CST by Luke Adams

While the Raptors and Clippers are still considered the frontrunners to sign Kawhi Leonard, Wojnarowski hears that Leonard may take free agents meetings with the Knicks and perhaps the Nets and Sixers as well (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com).