The Board Man Cometh!! Kawhi Leonard Signs 3 Year (2+1), $103 Million Deal

[Ranma]

I still haven't had time to catch up on all the posts I've missed and there are a couple that I've been meaning to respond to but I'm not sure how timely it is now. In any case, I'll take this opportunity to post my thoughts on the latest Kawhi scuttlebutt.

First, everyone seems to be playing the speculation game hoping to make a name for themselves if and when something sticks, which is what I feel David Thorpe, specifically, is doing. Dude isn't really a reporter and he's connected with Masai Ujiri presumably during their time at development camps and yet he's passing along info from sources that aren't even connected to the team. And people are running with this? Why?

Kawhi doesn't even talk to his teammates about his free-agency plans, especially when he's currently focused on winning a championship and somehow these so called "plugged-in" sources know for some reason. Meanwhile more credible reporters like Ramona Shelburne, Michael C. Wright, Shams Charania and even Adrian Wojnarowski all last reported that Kawhi preferred to join the Clippers. None of them have said otherwise since presumably because they haven't heard anything that would indicate otherwise. So excuse me if I'll take the more connected and respected party instead of Thorpe's mystery sources. Even in the audio cited, Thorpe himself says that he doesn't think Kawhi is thinking much about free agency right now. Thorpe's biggest selling point is Pascal Siakam. Furthermore, Thorpe admits that he doesn't break news and is only speculating while also saying that players change their minds all the time. Seems to me that Thorpe doesn't know what he's talking about. Listen to the audio for yourself in the Terez Owens tweet below and it's not at all convincing.

Second, does anyone else find it dubious that the term "property" was used in the report implying that Kawhi bought a building or structure of some sort rather than "house" or "home"? Practically everyone thought he bought a house or something in Toronto when that doesn't seem to be the case upon further inspection. Why would he even need to buy a new residence in Canada, anyway? Wasn't he supposedly offered a million-dollar condo in Toronto for free?

Here's what we do know: he bought a luxury home for his mother in Southern California; family and winning are top priorities for him.

Anybody seriously think that the Clippers don't offer him a better chance to win than Toronto beyond this season? Take a look at how the Raptors lost Game 2 of the Finals when Golden State was missing Durant, had Curry feeling visibly ill, Klay out due to injury, Looney also removed due to injury, and the Warriors unable to score for a 5-minute stretch in the 4th quarter. Then remember how the Clippers took 2 games from the Warriors on their home floor and even had a good chance at winning a 3rd game late in regulation at Staples Center against a Warriors team at full strength including Durant. This doesn't even factor in that the Clippers have flexibility to add another star player in free agency this summer.

I could go on and cite materials in this very thread such as him attending a Dodgers game in Los Angeles with his family while he was rehabbing as a Spur. Or I can point to the fact that his baby mama and her family are from the San Diego area. We can also point to the fact that the Clippers are cited as being his preferred destination by practically any reporter with significant credibility or that the Clippers are known to be quite confident in their chances in their obvious pursuit of him.

Look. I've felt that Toronto was always going to be the underdog to retain him even with their increased chances by virtue of making it to the Finals and having an opportunity to win a championship. I'll even agree with Thorpe in saying that Toronto has done just about as much as can be expected to try to retain him. Outside of weather, I also agree with former President Barack Obama in saying that Toronto is a great North American city with an argument for being its best city. Obviously, it's by no means a slam dunk that Kawhi will be a Clipper and if he chooses to stay in Toronto, then I tip my cap to the Raptors and fans for being able to keep him.

However, these shoddy so-called reports aren't doing the Raptors or Toronto fans any favors. It's like they're trying to fool themselves. Yes, the Clippers have been accused of being "thirsty" for Kawhi but the recent stuff put out there comes off as a weak attempt to put out false hope.

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[playaloc916]

No I meant the idea of him singing for 1 or 2 years in Toronto.

Regardless of where he signs, you figure he'd want to take guaranteed 9-figure money.

I hear you. And I'm saying that if I'm Kawhi, I'm not signing for 5 years in frigging Canada. If I want long-term security, it's 4 years with the Clips.

I liked what Westbrook did in OKC as far as keeping his long-term options open, but I agree that if I'm Kawhi, with my injury history, I don't have as much confidence that my body won't break down in the next 2 years as Russ did.

For reasons given--both financial and quality-of-life--I take the Clips' 4-year/$141 million. A guy can get by on $141 million, guaranteed, especially since Kawhi has already made $80 million as an NBAer. Not counting his sneaker money.


Everything after this is play money anyway.

When people were bringing up the 1+1 scenario, I myself thought that would be the best option for Kawhi; he basically gets to keep his options open, compete for another title, and keep improving his image...

But the more I think about it, there's quite a bit of risk involved with a short term deal. Anything can happen... Of course the big thing is his injury history. He might get hurt, then his deal might get affected. Or say another big FA or two decide to sign with the Clips... Clips may no longer be an option for him at that point... Hard to say if Kawhi is willing to take a risk with a short term deal... I mean, right now I'm facing a similar dilemma... buy a pair of Ultraboost at 30% off, or take a risk and wait a week or two for a potentially higher discount, but run the risk of my size/color being sold out

And him buying a property in Toronto, it might indicate he is planning to stay, or it could just be him liking the city and wanting to get a place so he can visit easily whenever he wants?

[Clemenza]

Whether he stays in Toronto or not I'll be glad when this entire situation is over with.

[Mattatron]

I still haven't had time to catch up on all the posts I've missed and there are a couple that I've been meaning to respond to but I'm not sure how timely it is now. In any case, I'll take this opportunity to post my thoughts on the latest Kawhi scuttlebutt.

First, everyone seems to be playing the speculation game hoping to make a name for themselves if and when something sticks, which is what I feel David Thorpe, specifically, is doing. Dude isn't really a reporter and he's connected with Masai Ujiri presumably during their time at development camps and yet he's passing along info from sources that aren't even connected to the team. And people are running with this? Why?

Kawhi doesn't even talk to his teammates about his free-agency plans, especially when he's currently focused on winning a championship and somehow these so called "plugged-in" sources know for some reason. Meanwhile more credible reporters like Ramona Shelburne, Michael C. Wright, Shams Charania and even Adrian Wojnarowski all last reported that Kawhi preferred to join the Clippers. None of them have said otherwise since presumably because they haven't heard anything that would indicate otherwise. So excuse me if I'll take the more connected and respected party instead of Thorpe's mystery sources. Even in the audio cited, Thorpe himself says that he doesn't think Kawhi is thinking much about free agency right now. Thorpe's biggest selling point is Pascal Siakam. Furthermore, Thorpe admits that he doesn't break news and is only speculating while also saying that players change their minds all the time. Seems to me that Thorpe doesn't know what he's talking about. Listen to the audio for yourself in the Terez Owens tweet below and it's not at all convincing.

Second, does anyone else find it dubious that the term "property" was used in the report implying that Kawhi bought a building or structure of some sort rather than "house" or "home"? Practically everyone thought he bought a house or something in Toronto when that doesn't seem to be the case upon further inspection. Why would he even need to buy a new residence in Canada, anyway? Wasn't he supposedly offered a million-dollar condo in Toronto for free?

Here's what we do know: he bought a luxury home for his mother in Southern California; family and winning are top priorities for him.

Anybody seriously think that the Clippers don't offer him a better chance to win than Toronto beyond this season? Take a look at how the Raptors lost Game 2 of the Finals when Golden State was missing Durant, had Curry feeling visibly ill, Klay out due to injury, Looney also removed due to injury, and the Warriors unable to score for a 5-minute stretch in the 4th quarter. Then remember how the Clippers took 2 games from the Warriors on their home floor and even had a good chance at winning a 3rd game late in regulation at Staples Center against a Warriors team at full strength including Durant. This doesn't even factor in that the Clippers have flexibility to add another star player in free agency this summer.

I could go on and cite materials in this very thread such as him attending a Dodgers game in Los Angeles with his family while he was rehabbing as a Spur. Or I can point to the fact that his baby mama and her family are from the San Diego area. We can also point to the fact that the Clippers are cited as being his preferred destination by practically any reporter with significant credibility or that the Clippers are known to be quite confident in their chances in their obvious pursuit of him.

Look. I've felt that Toronto was always going to be the underdog to retain him even with their increased chances by virtue of making it to the Finals and having an opportunity to win a championship. I'll even agree with Thorpe in saying that Toronto has done just about as much as can be expected to try to retain him. Outside of weather, I also agree with former President Barack Obama in saying that Toronto is a great North American city with an argument for being its best city. Obviously, it's by no means a slam dunk that Kawhi will be a Clipper and if he chooses to stay in Toronto, then I tip my cap to the Raptors and fans for being able to keep him.

However, these shoddy so-called reports aren't doing the Raptors or Toronto fans any favors. It's like they're trying to fool themselves. Yes, the Clippers have been accused of being "thirsty" for Kawhi but the recent stuff put out there comes off as a weak attempt to put out false hope.

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Hey, need to answer your post,

"Kawhi doesn't even talk to his teammates about his free-agency plans" sure he does, ask vanvleet, he said that they are jokin' a lot of times.

"Meanwhile more credible reporters like Ramona Shelburne, Michael C. Wright, Shams Charania and even Adrian Wojnarowski all last reported that Kawhi preferred to join the Clippers" they don't have any sources, it's their thoughts. and sorry but all of them are LA based reporters and half of them working for espn - that espn that wants every star in LA since 5-7 years. what sells more, what gives u more clicks, kawhi maybe re-signing in toronto or going to the clippers, yes last one, cause no one cares in cali about toronto.

"Why would he even need to buy a new residence in Canada, anyway? Wasn't he supposedly offered a million-dollar condo in Toronto for free?" really, u serious ? kawhi is a humble guy and multi millionaire, why should he take that free condo, i mean not even i would do that, just like the free dinners he will get everywhere, he know he can just take it, but he will not doing it. it's a sign of appreciation, love etc etc

"Anybody seriously think that the Clippers don't offer him a better chance to win than Toronto beyond this season?" so kawhi should compete for a championship with guys like shai, shamet, ballhog lou will, non shooting harrell ? how ridiculous is this. yeah u can get another star, but who is it ? u already have a yes from another star ? i don't think so, it would be a big gamble for kawhi, just to trust the clippers org. to get another star and if this not happening, it would be wasting his prime. look at the lakers mess, after lebron joined them.

the raptors can run it back for one more year with this core and can make a deep run. in 2020 the raptors would only have leonard and his friend powell in the books. this is a lot of cap space. he always talked great about toronto, the diversity, the culture, there's a lot of photos of him being out in the cooooooold winter, he don#t need to live there, it's for 41 games in a arena, and the rest of the season he's sitting in a plane flying through north america, this is his work and he's professional. he praised our medical staff around 3 time nba champion alex mckechnie, he's praisinjg masai ujiri and the organization, he knows what to expect of them, he trust them already, and they stuck to their word, he knows what he can get of his team. besides all of that - we're talkin bout 50 million $ more if he re-signing with the raptors, he already lost 30 million bc of the spurs mess. and plus that - uncle denny is close with masai and the MLSE / Owner Larry Tanenbaum, toronto is a good market for him right now. canada loves him, i really think that this is a perfect match for the next 2-3 years for him. you doin' something wrong and that's just to read your la based reporters. i don't think the clippers timeline match well right now with kawhi. his son is born in toronto lol his son is a friggin canadian. take that. 41 games in toronto, A+ City, High Quality, 50 million more, NB rollin high with the king of the north campaign and still can hang around in san diego in the whole off season. don't be so naive. u guys got no kd, ad, kyrie or anything to sell him a contender or anything like that.

[Ranma]

Hey, need to answer your post,

"Kawhi doesn't even talk to his teammates about his free-agency plans" sure he does, ask vanvleet, he said that they are jokin' a lot of times.

You know there's a difference between joking about something and actually talking seriously about something, right? Did you watch Ibaka's interview on his pseudo cooking show? Kawhi declined to answer when asked about his plans. How does Van Fleet joking about the situation give any insight into what Kawhi will do? Just like your attempt to "answer" my post, nothing of substantive value is provided.

"Meanwhile more credible reporters like Ramona Shelburne, Michael C. Wright, Shams Charania and even Adrian Wojnarowski all last reported that Kawhi preferred to join the Clippers" they don't have any sources, it's their thoughts. and sorry but all of them are LA based reporters and half of them working for espn - that espn that wants every star in LA since 5-7 years. what sells more, what gives u more clicks, kawhi maybe re-signing in toronto or going to the clippers, yes last one, cause no one cares in cali about toronto.

Uh...Shelburne is the only local reporter covering Los Angeles. Wright covers the Spurs while Charania and Wojnarowski cover basketball nationally. Just because ESPN has a base of operations in L.A. does not mean that they do nothing but cover Los Angeles all the time. Are you freaking high? ESPN's East-Coast bias is still alive and well so I have no idea what the heck you're talking about and apparently neither do you.

"Why would he even need to buy a new residence in Canada, anyway? Wasn't he supposedly offered a million-dollar condo in Toronto for free?" really, u serious ? kawhi is a humble guy and multi millionaire, why should he take that free condo, i mean not even i would do that, just like the free dinners he will get everywhere, he know he can just take it, but he will not doing it. it's a sign of appreciation, love etc etc

Regardless of Kawhi's nobility on such matters as free rides, food and condos, you ignore the point about how the word "property" was used as opposed to "home" or "house" like the one he bought his mother in So. Cal. Do you need to refer to the dictionary?

"Anybody seriously think that the Clippers don't offer him a better chance to win than Toronto beyond this season?" so kawhi should compete for a championship with guys like shai, shamet, ballhog lou will, non shooting harrell ? how ridiculous is this. yeah u can get another star, but who is it ? u already have a yes from another star ? i don't think so, it would be a big gamble for kawhi, just to trust the clippers org. to get another star and if this not happening, it would be wasting his prime. look at the lakers mess, after lebron joined them.

Again, you choose to ignore what was presented to you in not really answering the question. It's funny how the Clippers without Kawhi and with those players you mentioned did better against the Warriors at full strength with a healthy Durant in these same playoffs than the Raptors did in blowing a golden opportunity in Game 2 of the Finals against a depleted team without Durant. You got selective amnesia or short-term memory loss or something? To put it plainly, remove Kawhi from the equation and the Raptors don't get beyond the Sixers, especially given their history of choking without Kawhi.

The Raptors' window is already closing with aging Gasol and the anticipated decline from Lowry, Ibaka and even Green. Meanwhile, the Clippers have flexibility to make noise as the widely recognized destination team during the most anticipated free-agency period ever. Raptors can't even begin to make a significant foray into free agency until 2020 in a projected much weaker class.

the raptors can run it back for one more year with this core and can make a deep run. in 2020 the raptors would only have leonard and his friend powell in the books. this is a lot of cap space. he always talked great about toronto, the diversity, the culture, there's a lot of photos of him being out in the cooooooold winter, he don#t need to live there, it's for 41 games in a arena, and the rest of the season he's sitting in a plane flying through north america, this is his work and he's professional. he praised our medical staff around 3 time nba champion alex mckechnie, he's praisinjg masai ujiri and the organization, he knows what to expect of them, he trust them already, and they stuck to their word, he knows what he can get of his team. besides all of that - we're talkin bout 50 million $ more if he re-signing with the raptors, he already lost 30 million bc of the spurs mess. and plus that - uncle denny is close with masai and the MLSE / Owner Larry Tanenbaum, toronto is a good market for him right now. canada loves him, i really think that this is a perfect match for the next 2-3 years for him. you doin' something wrong and that's just to read your la based reporters. i don't think the clippers timeline match well right now with kawhi. his son is born in toronto lol his son is a friggin canadian. take that. 41 games in toronto, A+ City, High Quality, 50 million more, NB rollin high with the king of the north campaign and still can hang around in san diego in the whole off season. don't be so naive. u guys got no kd, ad, kyrie or anything to sell him a contender or anything like that.

Like I've said, I have nothing against the city of Toronto. It's a great place to be and I already acknowledged that the Raptors have done as much as they reasonably can to keep him. You again mistakenly point to the media members I've pointed out as only covering Los Angeles and you think I'm the naive or myopic one? Uncle Dennis is close to Masai Ujiri? You know who he's closer to? Kawhi's mother and the rest of his family. You don't think Kawhi would like to have his children spend time with his mother, especially while he's traveling and playing basketball a lot of the time?

You also missed that the difference in AAV of the respective max contracts is less than $3 million, which is nothing, since like you pointed out, he willingly left more money on the table to leave San Antonio. You even mentioned earlier that Kawhi is a humble and polite guy, so maybe he's thanking Ujiri and his teammates for believing in him, but in the end, he'll make his decision for what's best for himself and his family. Period. If that's in Toronto, so be it. If it's not, consider yourself lucky to have the pleasure and privilege of him elevating your team given how the Raptors have consistently come up short in the postseason and the fact that it has yet to lure a premier free agent of note.

[Ranma]

Is everything coming out of Toronto fake news now?

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[Quake Griffin]

Just remember.

When they lose, it's proof that we have the better roster suited to win it all.
When they win and are 2 games away from an NBA title, he's done everything he can for Siberia and he's coming to Los Angeles.

You will NEVER lose, no matter the scenario.

[Ranma]

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[Galloisdaman]

Whether he stays in Toronto or not I'll be glad when this entire situation is over with.

Yeah the next month or 2 will be nuts. I wish FA had 3 days to pick a spot so everyone could get this all out of the way during those 3 days.

[Galloisdaman]

Seeing KL refuse to fist bump his teammate is strange. Even if you hate Toronto (he doesn't) why be that way before a game? You are on the same team trying to accomplish the same goal for now.

[esqtvd]

Seeing KL refuse to fist bump his teammate is strange. Even if you hate Toronto (he doesn't) why be that way before a game? You are on the same team trying to accomplish the same goal for now.

I thought he was just showing intensity, like 'let's fist-bump after we do something.' They were walking out to the court and Kawhi pointed forward to it instead of fist-bumping. Hey, the dude's weird or at least let's say, "unique."

https://www.stack.com/a/kawhi-leonards-college-teammates-reveal-his-bizarrely-hilarious-trash-talk

[Galloisdaman]

Seeing KL refuse to fist bump his teammate is strange. Even if you hate Toronto (he doesn't) why be that way before a game? You are on the same team trying to accomplish the same goal for now.

I thought he was just showing intensity, like 'let's fist-bump after we do something.' They were walking out to the court and Kawhi pointed forward to it instead of fist-bumping. Hey, the dude's weird or at least let's say, "unique."

https://www.stack.com/a/kawhi-leonards-college-teammates-reveal-his-bizarrely-hilarious-trash-talk

That is possible. I have known guys that are "unique", focused, weird, but also some that are just rude for no reason. I have no idea which category KL would fall under so I do not want to assume.

[esqtvd]

Seeing KL refuse to fist bump his teammate is strange. Even if you hate Toronto (he doesn't) why be that way before a game? You are on the same team trying to accomplish the same goal for now.

I thought he was just showing intensity, like 'let's fist-bump after we do something.' They were walking out to the court and Kawhi pointed forward to it instead of fist-bumping. Hey, the dude's weird or at least let's say, "unique."

https://www.stack.com/a/kawhi-leonards-college-teammates-reveal-his-bizarrely-hilarious-trash-talk

That is possible. I have known guys that are "unique", focused, weird, but also some that are just rude for no reason. I have no idea which category KL would fall under so I do not want to assume.

Hey, it's wacky and weird, but he doesn't ignore Powell--he points at the court, starts walking out to it, and says something to Powell as they both walk off camera.

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[Quake Griffin]

Quite frankly, it's stupid to characterize that as him "refusing" to fist bump this guy knowing he talked to him, pointed to the court, and walked out with him.

I guess if all eyes are on you as an FA, that includes stupid eyes.

[Galloisdaman]

I thought he was just showing intensity, like 'let's fist-bump after we do something.' They were walking out to the court and Kawhi pointed forward to it instead of fist-bumping. Hey, the dude's weird or at least let's say, "unique."

https://www.stack.com/a/kawhi-leonards-college-teammates-reveal-his-bizarrely-hilarious-trash-talk

That is possible. I have known guys that are "unique", focused, weird, but also some that are just rude for no reason. I have no idea which category KL would fall under so I do not want to assume.

Hey, it's wacky and weird, but he doesn't ignore Powell--he points at the court, starts walking out to it, and says something to Powell as they both walk off camera.

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That is possible so I will give KL the benefit of the doubt. I remember Marbury would sometimes act like a jerk for no reason. It seemed to effect other guys but since the Raptors are winning I guess he is good with teammates. Well I guess. I just remembered the Bronx Zoo NY Yankees of 1977 and 1978 lol

[esqtvd]

[Ranma]

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[Quake Griffin]

Where TF was his help tonight?

[Clemenza]

He's staying guys.. lets move on. We still have a bright future. KD is still on the table for us plus I see SGA, Shamet, and Trez making a leap next season. I don't even know if the Warriors are a playoff team if KD leaves them. It could be wide open next year in the West.