Perhaps the marquee free agent of the 2019 offseason, Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard will have no shortage of options laid out before him this summer. In order to evaluate his best move though, Leonard will still have to opt out of the final year of his contract and decline his $21.3 million dollar player option for 2019-20. According to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, Leonard has decided to do just that but remains interested in re-signing with the Raptors.
Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard will decline his 2019-20 player option worth $21.3 million to become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told Yahoo Sports…
The Raptors are the only team that can offer Leonard a max contract for five years and $190 million.
Leonard, 27, is believed to be seriously considering re-signing with the Raptors, sources said.
This move from Kawhi Leonard should hardly come as a surprise to anyone, as this simply allows the forward to set himself up for a lucrative payday with a secure long-term contract if that’s what he’s after. A number of big-market teams have already been linked to Leonard, such as the LA Clippers and New York Knicks, but him turning down his player option is far from a guarantee that he’s headed elsewhere.
Leonard led Toronto to their first championship victory in franchise history in his debut season with the club, plus seems to enjoy the tight-knit locker room. Not to mention that the Raptors can also offer him the most money in free agency with a five-year supermax deal, so him staying put in Toronto remains a very real possibility.
Sure, Leonard could go elsewhere and likely immediately turn whichever team he joins into a title contender, but he already knows he has the requisite parts in place in Toronto. While veterans Marc Gasol and Danny Green are free agents themselves, franchise point guard Kyle Lowry isn’t going anywhere and third-year man Pascal Siakam should only continue to improve. Leonard will have a bevy of options to explore this summer, and it’ll be intriguing to see what the 2019 Finals MVP ultimately values in free agency.
