The league landscape will be drastically altered this summer by where Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard decide to continue their careers. As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tells it, the chance to win additional championships may not be the factor that most contributes to the free agency destination of either superstar.
WOJ on KD/Leonard's future. pic.twitter.com/RmcMnPhWSB
— John Ledesma (@JohnnyNBA) June 10, 2019
Wojnarowski is basically just confirming conventional wisdom here.
If Durant and Leonard wanted to maximize their prospects of winning more rings, their best course of action would probably be re-signing with their incumbent teams. The Golden State Warriors, after all, have Steph Curry under contract for the foreseeable future, and all indications point to the team bringing back Klay Thompson this summer and Draymond Green a year from now. The Toronto Raptors, meanwhile, are just one win away from hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy, and each of their meaningful contributors with the exception of Danny Green will be with the team through next season at the very least.
The evolving narratives concerning an individual player's legacy matter, too. LeBron James changed the league forever at the top of the decade by taking his future into his own hands, and could have prompted a similar shift by signing with the Los Angeles Lakers last summer in free agency, clearly prioritizing a work-life balance ahead of his ability to win another title. It bears reminding that both Durant and Leonard have already reached the NBA mountaintop, too, with either player poised to do so again at the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
Speaking of which, Durant, sidelined since Game 5 of the second round due to a calf injury, will reportedly start in a do-or-die Game 5. How much will the outcome of this series affect free agency? If Toronto wins it first championship on Monday night, we'll surely begin to find out more.
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