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Kawhi Leonard is supposedly deciding either late Wednesday or on Thursday where he will be playing basketball next season, and no matter what decision he makes, it will set the NBA world ablaze.
Either NBA fans will rejoice, or everyone outside of Jack Nicholson and the rest of Lakers nation will hate him for the remainder of eternity.
Basically, there are three teams in the race for Leonard: both Los Angeles squads and the Toronto Raptors, the club with which Leonard just won his second championship.
No matter where he goes, that team will be a title contender (or title favorite), but some fits are better than others.
Let's rank the three best fits for the two-time Finals MVP:
While the prevailing thought seems to be that Kawhi will join LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the purple and gold, it would actually be the worst fit for Leonard.
Not because Leonard would not have a chance to win with the Lakers, because they would become instant title favorites for the next three years if they are able to add Kawhi, but because of everything that comes with it.
The Lakers would basically be the only team in the league next season where you could argue that Leonard isn't the best player. Some would even argue that he would be the third-best player on the roster (they would be wrong, but some would still argue it).
Also, Leonard is a primary ball-handler, but he would not be the primary ball-handler playing alongside of James. And does Kawhi really want his legacy attached to LeBron's to begin with?
Leonard already has two rings and can absolutely win more without the help of LeBron, so winning with him and basically guaranteeing himself to be one ring behind James along the way just seems weird.
2. Toronto Raptors
Leonard kind of single-handedly led this Raptors team to a title. Sure, Pascal Siakam was terrific, and Kyle Lowry had some huge moments, but without Leonard, Toronto was in no way, shape or form doing anything in the playoffs.
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The only reason why the Raptors aren't the very best fit is because of the aging roster. Lowry is 33 years old and Marc Gasol is 34. If they bring back Danny Green, he's 32.
You have to wonder just how much this core has left and if Leonard can continue winning titles over the course of the next few years with it. It's also important to keep in mind that Lowry had some back issues this year, so that is something to monitor going forward.
It would certainly be a great story of Leonard stayed, but Toronto still isn't the best fit.
The Clippers just won 48 games and pushed the Warriors to six games in the first round of the playoffs. Throw Leonard on to that roster, and suddenly, the Clips become title favorites.
Montrezl Harrell. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Lou Williams. Patrick Beverley. Danilo Gallinari. Leonard.
That would be an outstanding group, and both Harrell and Gilgeous-Alexander are still babies and are already really good. Imagine how much better they will be in a couple of years?
The general consensus all season long has been that Leonard will bolt Toronto for the Clippers, and to this day, the Clips remain the best fit, both for now and the future.
Leonard would be the clear alpha on the team, and he would be able to consistently contend for titles over the next few seasons. Plus, Jerry West, who may very well be the best NBA executive ever, is in the Clippers front office and would certainly be sure to surround Kawhi with the appropriate talent at all times.
The Clippers are the best landing spot for Leonard.
