Why the LA Clippers could be at an advantage in the Kawhi race

The Kawhi Leonard free agency saga is still ongoing, and it could be for another few days. Here’s why the LA Clippers could be at an advantage to land him.

Unfortunately for fans of the LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors, the Kawhi Leonard saga won’t be coming to an end anytime soon — at least, it probably won’t be today. That information came from The Athletic‘s Jabari Young on Twitter, and that’s something we wrote about last night. However, looking back, it seems as though we may have left out a detail.

Young also reported that Leonard and his camp are taking their time with the decision, and that no two-year deals have been discussed. That’s a sizable development, considering most reporters that think Leonard will go back to Toronto also think he would do so on a two-year contract.

Specifically, it would be a 1+1 type of deal, meaning the first year would be guaranteed salary and Leonard would have a player option for the following year. It’s arguable that a 1+1 would make the most sense for Leonard if he did go back to Toronto, as the contracts of key Raptors such as Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam are all set to expire following the 2019-2020 season.

Gasol and Ibaka aren’t likely to make as much money on their next contracts, but the other three players are all due for a bigger payday once their deals expire — and the Raptors would struggle to keep them all on the roster, in addition to Leonard. So by taking a 1+1, Leonard would get a chance to go back to Toronto for one more season, then opt-out of the second year and again become a free agent.

However, as Young reported, that type of deal hasn’t been discussed — meaning Leonard is likely seeking the four- or five-year max, depending on which team he ends up choosing. The Clippers or Lakers would only be able to offer a four-year max worth $141 million, while the Raptors could offer a five-year max worth $190 million.

Leonard could of course, return to Toronto if earning the most money is what matters most to him. The Raptors would also have a very strong chance to repeat as champions next season if he does so as well — but then, what’s the plan for the years that follow? I’m not saying that hope is lost beyond the first few years, but Lowry, Ibaka and Gasol are all aging, and the Raptors will need to find a star outside of Siakam in order to stay as competitive as possible.

And that isn’t to say the Raptors won’t find one in that event. Toronto has an excellent front office, and players are going to want to team up with Leonard. It’s just something to consider, and something that’s likely been discussed by Leonard and his camp.

But how does this benefit the LA Clippers more than it does the Los Angeles Lakers? Well, it doesn’t. Both the Clippers and Lakers can comfortably sign Leonard to a four-year max right now without any issues. That being said, the Lakers do have an important date coming up that could impact their chances.

Bobby Marks, ESPN’s front office insider, appeared on Golic and Wingo early Thursday morning and discussed why the Lakers could be in a bit of a “time crunch” as the Anthony Davis trade is expected to be completed soon:

Now, the Lakers could likely find a workaround with the issue, but the pressure seems to be mounting, at least on their side, for Leonard to make his decision. Not to mention a lot of the better free agents are already off the board, and the Lakers may struggle to find quality role players to support their big three of Davis, LeBron James and Leonard.

Meanwhile, the Clippers don’t appear worried — although we wouldn’t exactly know, since they’ve been so quiet about the whole process. But the moves they’ve been making to add quality role players like Patrick Beverley, Maurice Harkless and Rodney McGruder don’t exactly signal panic.

As it stands, the Clippers’ worst-case scenario is signing a few more veterans to one-year deals and having their cap space roll over to 2020, which is an admittedly dry year for free agents, and then presumably again to 2021, when players like Paul George and Giannis Antetokounmpo will hit the market.

Again, it’s virtually impossible to get anything right about this whole situation. No one really seems to have any accurate inside information on Leonard’s intentions, and his decision is going to come as a shock to two different fan bases regardless of where he ends up signing. All we do know is that he’s supposed to still be considering all three teams at the moment, and that a decision might not come today — but it still might? Who knows.

One thing seems certain, though: The LA Clippers are going to be disappointed if they don’t land Kawhi Leonard, but they’re going to play just as hard whether he joins them or not.