Report: Raptors will get final free agent meeting with Kawhi Leonard

The Toronto Raptors will get the final free agent meeting with Kawhi Leonard, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Leonard intends to hold meetings in Los Angeles when free agency begins on June 30, and both the Clippers and Lakers will have an opportunity to make their pitches, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The New York Knicks are also hoping to get a seat at the table, as are a handful of other suitors. However, the only three confirmed parties as of right now are the two teams in Los Angeles plus Toronto, and the most recent reports suggest that Leonard is “seriously considering” re-signing in Toronto.

By gutting their entire roster, the Lakers have opened up maximum cap room to potentially pair Leonard with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, they have exhausted their entire stock of future assets beyond Kyle Kuzma, and will have extreme difficulty in filling out the rest of their roster.

The Clippers, on the other hand, have enough cap room for two maximum free agents, and have floated the idea of pairing Leonard with Jimmy Butler. The Clippers also have several young pieces in place and a surplus of picks to use in future deals. However, even with Leonard on the roster, they don’t quite have the experience or the pieces to be immediate contenders.

And lastly, the Raptors are the reigning champions and have proven capable of keeping Leonard healthy and competitive, on top of gaining his trust. Leonard is on record saying that this past season was the most enjoyable run of his career, and the Raptors have a clear path in bringing back their entire core to defend their title.

The 27-year-old Leonard captured his second Finals MVP award after averaging 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds ands 3.9 assists throughout the 2019 playoffs.

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