Everything Kawhi Leonard

[Sonny]

great point

Heard it's July 6?

[Dr Hannibal Lecter]

Is Kawli still in Canada..I haven't heard nothing, if his still here..maybe he already made decision, mls with this big announcement want 2 make it on the sixth..saturday. Man..I just one time a great player like Kawli who won championship with raps 2 say I'm staying with raps 🙁

[suspenders]

It's clear to me that Ibaka knows he's going to stay

I'm hearing buzz that Leonard will make a decision by tomorrow night and it'll be a 5 year max deal. Everything is pointing in that direction and it only makes sense

If the Lakers can't get him to sign after July 6th, they will get screwed over. Leonard can't get the max deal cause Anthony Davis will end up taking up more cap space and Leonard is fully aware of that. This is a ploy to get the Lakers who will be a fringe playoff team in the West, to get left with all of that extra cap space, with a lack of improvement during free agency. DANNY GREEN HAS TO BE IN ON THIS, THE DALLAS RUMORS ARE A SMOKESCREEN.

It was always Lakers or Raptors from the start, he knew the Clippers wouldn't get another max player to help. Now it is too late.

Ask yourselves: What was he doing at a Home Depot in Yorkdale a few weeks ago? Jays game? (or you Lakers fans can say Angels) Niagara? Ujiri is highly trusted to him? It was always coming down to trust more than playing in his own home town. The goal was to make the finals whenever questioned about his free agency. Won a ring and then some! Seeing what else Canada has to offer and he seems impressed!

Lakers front office has been subpar for years after Kobe left. Would you want to play with an aging LeBron and injury prone Davis with only minimum deal players surrounding you? Fan of load management? Lakers will barely make the playoffs without Leonard playing minimum 75 games that year. Im sure that he hates the bright lights as he is a very reserved guy.
​​​​
Speaking of uncle Dennis, he is apparently very tight with Masai, they get along very well. The answer is coming by tomorrow night.

Leonard has the opportunity to be the next Jordan and Pippen tandem with Siakam to compete for multiple championships for a world class organization. Lowry, Ibaka and Gasol are all aging but that doesn't mean we can't retool as Ujiri has proven time and time again.

Then again, it's likely word of mouth 😁

I like your optimism.

[golden]

TBH, at this point Kawhi's (In) Decision is starting to feel a bit like a ploy to attract worldwide attention, without even trying, to build his brand. Kind of like the theme of his New Balance commercial: "Kawhi doesn't want your attention.... he already has it." That would indicate Lakers, IMO.

[DanH]

I'm not sure how those super max contracts work, but I think you gotta make an all NBA team to qualify. Would be much more likely for Kawhi in Toronto than with the Lakers and that all star team they have there. Just ask Klay.

That is not how those supermax contracts work.

Any player with 10 years experience can sign a supermax. The new designated player extension rules allow a player with only 7 or 8 year experience to sign the supermax early, if they meet certain criteria, like making all-NBA teams - and also still being with the team that drafted them (or traded for them while on their rookie deal).

The advantage the Raptors have with the supermax is being the only team in the league that can give him the full 5 years and max raises as soon as he is eligible for it. Every other team needs him to sign a three year deal (or a two year deal followed by a one year deal, more likely), and delay signing the 5 year deal until his 11 seasons experience summer. Which is a risk for a player with an injury history who would be entering his 30s. But it's only a small edge.

[nubreed000]

It's clear to me that Ibaka knows he's going to stay

I'm hearing buzz that Leonard will make a decision by tomorrow night and it'll be a 5 year max deal. Everything is pointing in that direction and it only makes sense

If the Lakers can't get him to sign after July 6th, they will get screwed over. Leonard can't get the max deal cause Anthony Davis will end up taking up more cap space and Leonard is fully aware of that. This is a ploy to get the Lakers who will be a fringe playoff team in the West, to get left with all of that extra cap space, with a lack of improvement during free agency. DANNY GREEN HAS TO BE IN ON THIS, THE DALLAS RUMORS ARE A SMOKESCREEN.

It was always Lakers or Raptors from the start, he knew the Clippers wouldn't get another max player to help. Now it is too late.

Ask yourselves: What was he doing at a Home Depot in Yorkdale a few weeks ago? Jays game? (or you Lakers fans can say Angels) Niagara? Ujiri is highly trusted to him? It was always coming down to trust more than playing in his own home town. The goal was to make the finals whenever questioned about his free agency. Won a ring and then some! Seeing what else Canada has to offer and he seems impressed!

Lakers front office has been subpar for years after Kobe left. Would you want to play with an aging LeBron and injury prone Davis with only minimum deal players surrounding you? Fan of load management? Lakers will barely make the playoffs without Leonard playing minimum 75 games that year. Im sure that he hates the bright lights as he is a very reserved guy.
​​​​
Speaking of uncle Dennis, he is apparently very tight with Masai, they get along very well. The answer is coming by tomorrow night.

Leonard has the opportunity to be the next Jordan and Pippen tandem with Siakam to compete for multiple championships for a world class organization. Lowry, Ibaka and Gasol are all aging but that doesn't mean we can't retool as Ujiri has proven time and time again.

Then again, it's likely word of mouth 😁

1. Where are you hearing that?
2. Add "apparently enrolled his daughter at a prestigious private school in Toronto" as well. I've heard this from multiple, unrelated sources.

[DanH]

1. Where are you hearing that?
2. Add "apparently enrolled his daughter at a prestigious private school in Toronto" as well. I've heard this from multiple, unrelated sources.

The school enrollment, even if true, means nothing. It makes all the sense in the world for athletes to enroll their kids in schools in every city they are considering, if there are deadlines before that decision, and just pay whatever fee comes with canceling that enrollment once they decide on one city, rather than have to jump through hoops to get their kids enrolled late after the decision.

[JimiCliff]

This is a hard decision. There's very, very strong cases to be made on both sides. There will be bigtime blowback, legitimate and justified, coming from whichever side he rejects. It's a true 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. I'm not surprised he's taking his time.

But no matter what happens, I'm taking comfort in the fact it's looking like all of that creepy cross-continent stalking BS by the Clippers was a massive waste of time and money.

[Zainab]

[Kagemusha]

How can Kawhi be the best player in the world playing alongside LeBron?

[golden]

If Cris Carter truly is Uncle Dennis' media mouthpiece, then this is a bad sign.

[Jclaw]

If Cris Carter truly is Uncle Dennis' media mouthpiece, then this is a bad sign.

No point in reading tea leaves anymore as we’re likely pretty close to a decision. But in that statement, wanting to win and a statement coming today may be facts (from uncle Dennis or not) but he clearly says the Lakers being the destination is only his idea. So continue being ambiguously optimistic

[LJ2]

Can't be the best player in the world when there are two other alphas on the same team to share the ball with. In Toronto, as we saw this season, Kawhi will get as many touches/iso's as he wants. And we just won a championship so...

If the greatest championship teams are still judged by their ability to 3-peat then there is one less to have to win in Toronto.

[nubreed000]

The school enrollment, even if true, means nothing. It makes all the sense in the world for athletes to enroll their kids in schools in every city they are considering, if there are deadlines before that decision, and just pay whatever fee comes with canceling that enrollment once they decide on one city, rather than have to jump through hoops to get their kids enrolled late after the decision.

Good point. Didn't think about it that way.

[suspenders]

Can't be the best player in the world when there are two other alphas on the same team to share the ball with. In Toronto, as we saw this season, Kawhi will get as many touches/iso's as he wants. And we just won a championship so...

If the greatest championship teams are still judged by their ability to 3-peat then there is one less to have to win in Toronto.

I agree. When Lebron went to Miami, they didn't win that 1st year because they were still trying to figure out who the Alpha was - Wade or Lebron. When Wade stepped aside, that's when they won.

Now that it'll be Lebron, AD, and Kawhi, even if Lebron steps aside because of age, will AD do it? Say it was a game 7 vs. the Spurs in the 2nd round, tied game and Lakers have the ball - who takes the shot? Wouldn't AD want to have his own legacy of that game winning shot? Wouldn't Kawhi? What about Lebron?