Woj: Kawhi still leaning towards Clippers, Raptors have a lot of work to do still

[Luigi]

This is like saying that DJ Augustin stole 1 game from the eventual champs, while Steph managed to steal 2, so they’re comparable as players.

Everyone knows that the Warriors were never in danger of being eliminated in that series.

The Clippers also faced the healthiest Warriors team in the playoffs in which KD was going historically nuclear (at a higher level than Kawhi ended up at). The Clippers were expected to get swept by huge margins. Honestly I do not believe the Raptors beat the Warriors with the healthier Klay+KD that the Clippers did either. They also lose in 6 probably.

The Warriors never took the Clippers seriously , they weren't putting in the extreme effort of a finals series vs round 1 against an 8th seed.

That is true. In fact, I think I said that after the series.

But it's still true that the Clippers overachieved, and have 2 max spots to add to that squad. While Toronto has nowhere to go really, and might get disapointed against a healthier challenger next year.

[BullyKing]

This story is nothing but BS.

Clearly the Toronto Raptor winning the NBA Championship has hurt a lot of feelings. Lots of salt being thrown around.

This is a really poor look. You really think Woj is going to hurt his reputation because he wants to soil the Raps victory? Seems a million times more likely you just don't like the content of his report (for obvious reasons) and so you're making up this weird conspiracy theory rather than confront the reality that Kawhi still might leave.

[CIN-C-STAR]

Seriously I hope Kawhi stays, but this is the perfect opportunity for him to bolt...
Raps used up a lot of assets to put a contender around him, and some serious injury luck allowed it to pan out with a championship.
Now he can just bolt to another team loaded with assets, and no one can even be mad at him. Use 'em up, and move on to greener pastures. It's Lebron-esque, without the bad PR.

[Cyrusman122000]

Can someone please tell me why Woj who just works for espn cares so much about Kawhi leaving Toronto?
Why does he cars
It seems like he wants it to happen

[OkcSinceSGA]

I don't think a free agent like Kawhi can really count on anything past 1 or 2 years. A team in a great position is inevitably going to have important players coming off rookie contracts, etc. Kawhi's fortunate to have a title team to return to, or a great situation in LA as well if he so chooses. If he signs a long deal in either place, it's just as much a bet on the FO, and both Toronto and Clippers seem to have excellent ones.

I think we're mostly on the same page, but as a sidenote I don't think we should chuck all of the current context and say 'well, all FAs are equally uncertain about their future.' KD knew he was getting Steph, Klay, and Draymond in their primes, for example, and Lebron and Bosh knew they were getting years of each other and Wade in their primes. Some of the other pieces weren't clear but they moved based on some basic certainties. (Other guys like Grant Hill, or maybe Kyrie now, left non-contenders to roll the dice with younger teams with cap space.)

Kawhi's in a more specific situation in which he's not going to a blank-slate team but has to choose which type of risk he wants. The Raptors will almost definitely be good next year, but the FO can't really do anything definite if Lowry and Gasol start falling off soon (a very real possibility), there's no magic formula to get all-star level supporting players quickly whenever you need them. Conversely the Clips are a total wildcard and the FO can't do anything to guarantee they'll land something great with the picks and cap space they have--they can only do their due diligence, work the right angles, and hope some things shake out. Be interesting to see how it goes.

Clippers have plenty of results to use in terms of proving they will build. The last two years has been one great trade after another, one brilliant signing after another (remember all the rumors of Ballmer paying guys under the table when they signed Lou and Trez?). Very solid drafting, amazing cap management and creation of flexibility. They are a wildcard in terms of landing a superstar this summer, but not in terms of being an elite front office.

[mademan]

I just don't see a star going to Toronto in free agency. If I thought they were less ignorant about how great Toronto is, I'd say the Raptors easily had an advantage going forward. The free agent draw is a huge part of why I give LA the advantage.

Over the past 30ish years, the only FA to switch teams to sign with LA were Shaq (before RFA was a thing for rookies) and Lebron (at the tail end of his career).

LA seemingly hasnt been a strong free agent draw for some time now. While guys have their names tied to the city often, when the moment of truth comes, they dont actually ever go there. And if Kawhi decides to stay, it only further proves that media knows absolutely nothing

The Clippers have gotten meetings with all the top guys though, or been on every superstar's top 3 destination list, despite even years when they had no cap. Kawhi, AD, PG, KD etc all were willing to go to Clips. KD was impressed as hell with the Clips presentation according to his camp/WOJ etc. I don't see stars even having Toronto on the radar due to not wanting to live up there for the most part. Again, if it was ME I'd love to play for Toronto. It would be top 3 on my list. Most stars though still in prime or younger, tend to prefer LA.

Like i said, there's always a lot of smoke. How it's always been. But when it's the moment of truth, FA's spurn the 2 teams in LA about as much as they spurn every other team.

Youre legit talking about 2 stars signing with LA, one of them at the age of 35. That doesnt scream FA hotbed

[bulliedog8]

It would be legit if Kawhi had a press conference on July 1 and straight up said, “the raptors and I have come to an agreement that I am signing for 1 more year and then I leave after this year”. That way, everyone knows, the team would be focused and not have to worry about if he stays or leaves. They know he is gone. They get 1 chance to run it back as Lowry ibaka and gasol expire. Raptors start over in 2021. I know it would never happen but would be cool and refreshing to see.

[OkcSinceSGA]

The Clippers also faced the healthiest Warriors team in the playoffs in which KD was going historically nuclear (at a higher level than Kawhi ended up at). The Clippers were expected to get swept by huge margins. Honestly I do not believe the Raptors beat the Warriors with the healthier Klay+KD that the Clippers did either. They also lose in 6 probably.

The Warriors never took the Clippers seriously , they weren't putting in the extreme effort of a finals series vs round 1 against an 8th seed.

That is true. In fact, I think I said that after the series.

But it's still true that the Clippers overachieved, and have 2 max spots to add to that squad. While Toronto has nowhere to go really, and might get disapointed against a healthier challenger next year.

Again, Raptors got to face a hurt Klay and no KD. So I'd say the advantage of being under the radar is overstated here. If Clips didn't play KD and Klay was hobbled, they easily win that series. It was KD who buried them.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

Can someone please tell me why Woj who just works for espn cares so much about Kawhi leaving Toronto?
Why does he cars
It seems like he wants it to happen

It's been the narrative de-jour since he asked to be traded.

They don't want him in Toronto, they work in LA....you see the problem I'm sure.

[poomaster]

Seriously I hope Kawhi stays, but this is the perfect opportunity for him to bolt...
Raps used up a lot of assets to put a contender around him, and some serious injury luck allowed it to pan out with a championship.
Now he can just bolt to another team loaded with assets, and no one can even be mad at him. Use 'em up, and move on to greener pastures. It's Lebron-esque, without the bad PR.

DeRozan, Poeltl and 1st round pick is not "a lot of assets". JV , Delon and CJ - again not that much in terms of assets. Delon would have been let go this off season because of our cap situation and he wants to get paid and he was fighting for minutes with FVV. CJ is useless. JV and Gasol are a wash at best.

They are still an extremely deep team with an emerging 2 way all-star in Pascal Siakam and a young bench of FVV Norman OG and Serge and probably the top 3 best starting 5 in the NBA.

[CIN-C-STAR]

If he goes to Clippers then good luck. He won't have any load management in the West. Every game matters in the West, seeding is everything. He won't get to coast to a top 4 seed.

It's like Raptors fans either don't know that "load management" was a term coined by the Spurs organization to manage Kawhi's injury, or just refuse to believe that anyone other than their organization could possibly be smart enough to think of resting a player who suffers from an overuse injury

[mademan]

Can someone please tell me why Woj who just works for espn cares so much about Kawhi leaving Toronto?
Why does he cars
It seems like he wants it to happen

Media wants it to happen. It'll give them an entire year of stuff to talk about.

Kawhi->-LA
-new title contenders?
-King of LA-->Lebron or Kawhi?
Team of LA-->Clips or Lakers

etc..

Even this playoffs was, at times, overshadowed by FA talk. The media wants it to happen so bad

[OkcSinceSGA]

Over the past 30ish years, the only FA to switch teams to sign with LA were Shaq (before RFA was a thing for rookies) and Lebron (at the tail end of his career).

LA seemingly hasnt been a strong free agent draw for some time now. While guys have their names tied to the city often, when the moment of truth comes, they dont actually ever go there. And if Kawhi decides to stay, it only further proves that media knows absolutely nothing

The Clippers have gotten meetings with all the top guys though, or been on every superstar's top 3 destination list, despite even years when they had no cap. Kawhi, AD, PG, KD etc all were willing to go to Clips. KD was impressed as hell with the Clips presentation according to his camp/WOJ etc. I don't see stars even having Toronto on the radar due to not wanting to live up there for the most part. Again, if it was ME I'd love to play for Toronto. It would be top 3 on my list. Most stars though still in prime or younger, tend to prefer LA.

Like i said, there's always a lot of smoke. How it's always been. But when it's the moment of truth, FA's spurn the 2 teams in LA about as much as they spurn every other team.

Youre legit talking about 2 stars signing with LA, one of them at the age of 35. That doesnt scream FA hotbed

Clippers haven't had cap space since Donald Sterling was owner. Nobody has spurned us. In fact we were competing with Miami, then GS year in and year out on crazy good value signings for the bench and guys willing to take minimum to contend. Remember Ray Allen was gonna come here, but we chose Crawford (Allen hit the big shot and won title in Miami after). We got many minimum guys who could of made more elsewhere.

[blueNorange]

if i'm kawhi i don't re-sign with toronto, keep the legacy that is arriving to a new team, winning it all, and then leaving.

it's a great way to go out.

[mademan]

The Clippers have gotten meetings with all the top guys though, or been on every superstar's top 3 destination list, despite even years when they had no cap. Kawhi, AD, PG, KD etc all were willing to go to Clips. KD was impressed as hell with the Clips presentation according to his camp/WOJ etc. I don't see stars even having Toronto on the radar due to not wanting to live up there for the most part. Again, if it was ME I'd love to play for Toronto. It would be top 3 on my list. Most stars though still in prime or younger, tend to prefer LA.

Like i said, there's always a lot of smoke. How it's always been. But when it's the moment of truth, FA's spurn the 2 teams in LA about as much as they spurn every other team.

Youre legit talking about 2 stars signing with LA, one of them at the age of 35. That doesnt scream FA hotbed

Clippers haven't had cap space since Donald Sterling was owner. Nobody has spurned us. In fact we were competing with Miami, then GS year in and year out on crazy good value signings for the bench and guys willing to take minimum to contend. Remember Ray Allen was gonna come here, but we chose Crawford (Allen hit the big shot and won title in Miami after). We got many minimum guys who could of made more elsewhere.

so no evidence of LA being able to attract star FA's at a rate higher than the league average then?

[sca]

The Clippers also faced the healthiest Warriors team in the playoffs in which KD was going historically nuclear (at a higher level than Kawhi ended up at). The Clippers were expected to get swept by huge margins. Honestly I do not believe the Raptors beat the Warriors with the healthier Klay+KD that the Clippers did either. They also lose in 6 probably.

The Warriors never took the Clippers seriously , they weren't putting in the extreme effort of a finals series vs round 1 against an 8th seed.

That is true. In fact, I think I said that after the series.

But it's still true that the Clippers overachieved, and have 2 max spots to add to that squad. While Toronto has nowhere to go really, and might get disapointed against a healthier challenger next year.

Are you really arguing that the defending champions who’ll keep their entire core if Kawhi resigns has nowhere to go?

Also why are you talking as we’ve faced lots of opponents who were missing key guys to injury? We did not, except for the Warriors, who will NOT be healthy next year, anyway.

[binjumper]

yeah ESPN are trying super hard. Especially with that Cringe Doris Burke interview right after he won.

[OkcSinceSGA]

Like i said, there's always a lot of smoke. How it's always been. But when it's the moment of truth, FA's spurn the 2 teams in LA about as much as they spurn every other team.

Youre legit talking about 2 stars signing with LA, one of them at the age of 35. That doesnt scream FA hotbed

Clippers haven't had cap space since Donald Sterling was owner. Nobody has spurned us. In fact we were competing with Miami, then GS year in and year out on crazy good value signings for the bench and guys willing to take minimum to contend. Remember Ray Allen was gonna come here, but we chose Crawford (Allen hit the big shot and won title in Miami after). We got many minimum guys who could of made more elsewhere.

so no evidence of LA being able to attract star FA's at a rate higher than the league average then?

Has Toronto EVER signed a big free agent either? Seems like a random pissing contest here you want to engage in. If you honestly believe Toronto is the draw LA is, we will have to agree to disagree.

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[SFour]

Woj has been pushing the Clippers narrative extra hard this year....even after the Raptors won their first championship he had the audacity to report that Masai was going to join the Wizards.....it's pretty obvious what he's trying to do.

[TeamTragic]

Obviously with Durant/Klay not playing next season that changes the landscape. I have a feeling that Kawhi can move back West and be back in the finals next season.