Reports have surfaced that the New York Knicks will pursue Kawhi Leonard in free agency this summer. They pose no real threat to the LA Clippers.
While the Finals only have two games at maximum remaining, free agency talk has started to increase. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, the New York Knicks are expected to aggressively pursue Kawhi Leonard this summer, assuming he opts out of his player option.
Leonard has long been the primary target of the LA Clippers and while the Knicks are rightly going to try and sign him, this is likely just a two team race. The Knicks don’t offer anything that the Clippers nor the Raptors cannot provide at a better level.
Big city? Los Angeles fits that mold. Young roster? The Clippers have that covered as well. Lighter competition due to being in the East? Last time I checked, Toronto is still there. The only argument that could be made for the Knicks is that they are a storied franchise, but their recent history is no better than any of the down years for the Clips or Raptors.
The Knicks have been rumored to be big free agency players, but until today, it seemed like they had tunnel vision on Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and making a trade for Anthony Davis. Durant’s injury along with Rich Paul’s new comments regarding Davis very well may have changed their plans.
It makes sense for the Knicks to go after Leonard. Even before Durant’s injury, he was arguably the best available player this summer. Any team with cap space should be trying to secure a meeting with him.
For the Clippers, they don’t need to try and outbid the Knicks. Instead, they need to keep their focus on what they do better than the Raptors. Up 3-2 in the Finals, it’s going to be hard to argue against staying in Toronto if they win the championship. The Raptors seemed like the underdog to keep Kawhi, but their postseason run has to have made an impression on him.
No, the Clips don’t have an easy road ahead of them to recruit Kawhi, but the Knicks will be the least of their worries.