NBA Free Agents 2019: Rumors and Predictions for Remaining Available Talent
The first few days of free agency have proved to be some of the most exciting yet, with players like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving shaking up the league by joining forces in Brooklyn. Other notable free agents Kemba Walker and Jimmy Butler will be relocated to Boston and Miami, respectively.
None of these players have signed offers yet. Most agreements won't be official until the free agency moratorium ends and players can sign starting at 12:00 p.m. ET on July 6. But who's still available? Where will they land?
While most of the league's big stars have already announced where they will be headed in the upcoming season—with the first day of free agency like Christmas morning for basketball fans everywhere—the NBA Finals MVP has yet to announce where he will play in the 2019-2020 season.
Besides Kawhi Leonard, there are a few other high-profile players still on the market. There's a possibility that all of these players could come to an agreement with their current team; however, they are also taking meetings with other teams. Will Leonard stay with Toronto or relocate to one of the two L.A. teams pursuing him? Will Danny Green wait until Leonard decides or will he make his decision prior to that?
Where will Kawhi Leonard end up?
The basketball world enters the fourth day of free agency holding its breath while it waits for one of the biggest stars in basketball to make a decision that has the power to impact the NBA immensely.
Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors just snapped Golden State's NBA Finals streak, winning the first NBA Championship for Canada while Leonard won his second NBA Finals MVP.
During the championship parade, Canadians chanted "one more year," because they knew there was a chance their biggest star wouldn't return for the upcoming season.
While there's still a chance Leonard remains in Toronto, he has also taken meetings in Los Angeles with the Clippers and Lakers—where he could join a super-team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. His decision has come down to between these three teams.
However, everything else surrounding Leonard is just speculation. According to Fox Sports' Cris Carter, all the rumors that Leonard has decided on the Lakers are just that, rumors:
Leonard averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists during regular season games and averaged 30.5 points in the postseason. The small forward would provide the range the Lakers would need, and the team would be ready for a postseason run with the addition of Leonard.
Prediction: Kawhi Leonard signs with the Los Angeles Lakers
Dallas pursues Danny Green as he waits for Leonard's decision
A star who is anxiously awaiting Leonard's decision along with the rest of us is his Raptors teammate Danny Green.
While the expectation is that if Leonard stays in Toronto, Green will too, that may no longer be the case, as Green's podcast co-host Harrison D. Sanford said Tuesday on 105.3 FM The Fan that Green is "considering not waiting" any longer.
According to Sanford, the Lakers, Raptors and Dallas Mavericks are all in pursuit of Green, but Dallas is at the forefront regardless of Leonard:
Green would provide valuable floor spacing for the Mavs, add valuable defense on the court and could impart winning habits to a young locker room. In addition to his defense, Green shot 45.5 percent from beyond the arc with an average of 10.3 points, 4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in regular season games.
Harrison and Green's podcast Inside The Green Room will announce Green's decision on its Twitter and Instagram accounts when the time comes.
Prediction: Danny Green signs with the Dallas Mavericks
No market for DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins signed a one year contract with the Warriors last summer, but he only began to suit up in January after recovering from an Achilles tendon tear that he had suffered a year earlier with the New Orleans Pelicans.
In his 30 regular season games with Golden State, he averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists. While the Lakers, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics have rumored interest in the center, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski believes there's no market for Cousins.
"There's not a market for [DeMarcus Cousins]," Wojnarowski said on ESPN Tuesday. "I think he hoped that some big market teams would strike out, they'd have cap space and he could get a one-year, $12M, $15M, $18M, $20 million deal. That's not happening. The mid-level exception he got in Golden State last year? I don't think that's there."
Cousins himself said that despite his free agency, he's open to returning to Golden State.
"I really enjoyed it," Cousins said of his season with the Warriors. "I'm open, so we'll see what happens. I don't know. ... Like I said, I'm open and I'll make the best decision for myself and my family, and we'll see what happens. We'll see what way the wind blows."
Prediction: DeMarcus Cousins resigns with the Golden State Warriors
