Fans of both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers will not be pleased with a recent rumor that has emerged pertaining to Kawhi Leonard's alleged unwillingness to make the big move to L.A.
According to Chris Mannix of SI, people close to the Toronto Raptors superstar are “skeptical” about all the Kawhi-to-L.A. talk.
Leonard’s is the rare singular free agency decision that could determine a champion. If Leonard returns to Toronto, the Raptors would be favorites to repeat. If Leonard bolts for the Clippers, L.A. has a roster that, with Leonard, would leapfrog into the favorites to win the West. If Leonard decided to join forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis with L.A.—an idea several people familiar with Leonard’s thinking are skeptical of—the Lakers would have the foundation of a superteam.
This does seem to point to the fact that Leonard's intention is to remain with his current team, the Raptors, by signing a lengthy and lucrative deal that would keep him on for the long haul.
Last year, the Raptors front office was criticized for going all-in on Kawhi — a move that was deemed too risky for a player that was surely going to walk away from the team after one season. Well, so much has changed in a year, and an NBA title definitely helped sway Leonard's decision.
Nothing is set in stone at the moment, though, so anything is still possible. However, at this point, L.A. supporters better not get their hopes up too much.
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