Kawhi Leonard
LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard opted out of his contract to become a free agent again. This was a formality, as Leonard will assuredly lock down another max contract in free agency despite being injured.
Leonard injured his knee during the Clippers’ second-round series against the Utah Jazz in Game 4. Leonard didn’t play in another game after that, as Los Angeles advanced but lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games in the Western Conference Finals.
He recently underwent surgery to repair his partially torn ACL, but that will not deter him from landing a max offer in free agency. The Clippers are certainly the frontrunners to retain him, but the basketball world will be shocked when the New York Knicks convince him to leave Los Angeles for The Big Apple.
The Knicks have been gearing up the last two years for a big move and this summer is when they will pull it off. They even created a little more cap space during the 2021 NBA Draft in preparation for a splash move.
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Leonard will likely miss the 2021-22 season, but the Knicks will be in a position to be legitimate contenders starting in 2022-23 with Leonard in the fold. They will not make the same mistake twice after reportedly not offering an injured Kevin Durant a max contract in 2019.
