NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Kawhi Leonard, DeMarcus Cousins, More
The most anticipated free-agent decision left to be made does not appear to be coming in the immediate future.
Kawhi Leonard is the only top-tier free agent who has not decided where he will play during the 2019-20 season, and there is little out on the rumor mill to suggest where he will land.
What we do know is the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors are in the mix to sign the two-time NBA champion, but after that, the information has been scant.
While the majority of the free-agent focus is on Leonard, there are a few other intriguing names still available who could improve the rosters of contending teams.
Latest NBA Buzz
Kawhi Leonard
According to The Athletic's Jabari Young, Leonard was not prepared to make a decision Wednesday night and it may not come until the next few days.
Young also mentioned that Leonard and his representation have not discussed two-year deals as part of any negotiations.
On SportsCenter Wednesday night, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski discussed the timetable for Leonard to make his decision.
"The timetable is Kawhi Leonard's timetable," Wojnarowski said. "Everyone's going to wait for him. The Raptors, the Lakers, the Clippers. He is one of the two or three best players in the world right now. He's going to dramatically transform your franchise, whichever team he plays for and so they're going to wait."
The draw of all three potential suitors for Leonard is clear, with the Lakers hoping to add him to Anthony Davis and LeBron James, while the Clippers and Raptors would make him the centerpiece of their respective franchises.
In terms of title chances, all three would be in the mix for the Larry O'Brien Trophy with Leonard on the roster, although the Lakers would presumably have a clearer path with three superstars in tow.
For Leonard, the decision comes down to which team is the best fit for him and whether he feels comfortable as the main attraction on a roster, or as a complementary piece at times alongside other stars.
If he wants to be the main man on a team, Leonard could choose to play close to home with the Clippers, or go on a quest for his second title in a row in Toronto.
Since there is so little information out there regarding which way he is leaning, we will likely be left guessing about Leonard's decision until it is actually made.
DeMarcus Cousins is experiencing the opposite level of interest than Leonard.
The 28-year-old center, who dealt with injury issues last season in Golden State, is not receiving much interest on the free-agent market, per Wojnarowski (h/t ESPN's Stanford Steve).
"There is not a market for him," Wojnarowski said. "I think he thought, he hoped big-market teams would strike out that have cap space, he could get a one-year, $12, 15, 18, 20 million deal. That's not happening. I don't even know if there's a mid-level exception he got in Golden State last year. I don't think that's there for him."
The lack of interest in Cousins is understandable because he has played 78 games over the last two seasons for the New Orleans Pelicans and Golden State Warriors.
Cousins' production with the Warriors was limited last season due to injuries, including the quad issue he ran into in the playoffs.
Because of Cousins' recent health, it is hard for teams to justify spending a significant amount of money on the 30-year-old.
At some point, a team will take a risk on Cousins, but it will likely do so at a low risk in terms of salary.
It is unfortunate for Cousins that his free-agent market is so slim, but the only thing he can do is use it as motivation and prove critics wrong wherever he lands for the 2019-20 season.
According to ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon, the Memphis Grizzlies do not plan on buying out Andre Iguodala's contract and will explore the trade market for him.
Iguodala was shipped to Memphis from Golden State in the three-way deal that brought D'Angelo Russell to the Warriors.
Instead of buying out Iguodala and letting him walk for free, the Grizzlies will try to get an asset back to add to their rebuild.
MacMahon mentioned the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks as interested parties in the services of Iguodala.
According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the hope within the Rockets organization is they can bring in Iguodala once the trade to Memphis becomes official Saturday.
Iguodala would be a nice veteran piece to add to the Houston roster in its quest to finally secure a championship.
Dallas would be a nice option as well since it is mounting a charge toward the playoff places in the Western Conference, but the Rockets hand Iguodala the immediate opportunity to win another title.
But where Iguodala lands depends on how much each team is willing to ship to Memphis in a trade. From Memphis' perspective, this is a perfect situation because it will help it build through either draft picks, or another player to complement Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
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