NBA Free Agents 2019: Rumors, Predictions for Kawhi Leonard, Delon Wright, More
After no free-agent fireworks went off Thursday, the Kawhi Leonard watch stretches into Friday.
Leonard is still the top NBA free-agent left on the market, and although nothing is official yet, there has been a change in his potential destination on the rumor mill.
The Toronto Raptors are now emerging as the favorites to land Leonard, but that term has to be used lightly since little information has come out regarding the decision of the two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
After Leonard, the drop off in talent of available free agents is vast, but there are still players out on the market capable of making a difference during the 2019-20 NBA season.
Latest NBA Free-Agent Rumors and Predictions
Kawhi Leonard
The latest buzz surrounding Leonard's free agency has Toronto pegged as the favorite to land his signature.
In an appearance on ESPN's Get Up Wednesday, Jalen Rose said he believes Leonard is heading back to the Raptors.
"What I'm 99 percent hearing is that Kawhi Leonard will be returning to Toronto and signing a two-year contract," Rose said.
The Athletic's Frank Isola added more fuel to the rumors by reporting Thursday that it sounds like Leonard is 99.9 percent returning to Toronto.
A return to Toronto could be in the cards for Leonard, but according to The Athletic's Jabari Young, Leonard and his team have not discussed any two-year contracts.
This latest batch of information is a positive development for Toronto as it seeks to keep one of the best players in the NBA and remain on top of the Eastern Conference.
Winning the Eastern Conference would be tough without Leonard since the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics improved their rosters and the Milwaukee Bucks are bringing back the majority of the squad that advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
But since there have been few indications of what Leonard is actually thinking, we can't be certain he is headed back to the Raptors until it is officially announced.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers could make last-minute additions to their pitches and lure Leonard in their direction, or Toronto's pitch could be so strong he does not consider the options in California.
The allure of creating a dynasty in Toronto as the main star of a team has to intrigue Leonard, and since the latest information suggests that will happen, we are giving the Raptors more of a chance than they had a few days ago to re-sign the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Prediction: After long consideration, Leonard returns to Toronto.
Delon Wright
According to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Mavericks have increased their offer for restricted free agent Delon Wright.
Since Wright is a restricted free agent, any offer that comes in for him can be matched by the Memphis Grizzlies.
From Dallas' perspective, the chase of Wright would not affect its pursuit of Danny Green, as Townsend noted.
Wright is coming off a season in which he averaged 8.7 points per game for both Toronto and Memphis, and during his 26 games with the Grizzlies, he averaged 12.2 points per game.
Dallas makes sense as a potential landing spot for Wright since it is looking for reliable veterans to round out an improved squad headlined by Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic.
Memphis has plenty of reasons to keep Wright as well, as he would be a solid backup option behind rookie Ja Morant and could help the No. 2 overall draft pick along with some veteran leadership, now that Mike Conley is off to the Utah Jazz.
Prediction: Memphis matches offer, keeps Wright.
According to The Athletic's Michael Scotto, Justin Holiday is considering interest from a good amount of franchises.
The Lakers, Clippers and Raptors were all mentioned, as well as the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. Memphis was also reported as interested in a sign-and-trade.
In his last two seasons, Holiday has averaged over 10 points per game, which makes him a solid scoring option off the bench, or as a spot starter.
The Bulls and Grizzlies know Holiday well after he played for both franchises during the 2018-19 season, but he could also land somewhere else because of his scoring prowess.
If Holiday is looking to join a contender, his list of potential suitors could be trimmed to the two Los Angeles teams, Toronto and Indiana.
If he goes to Indiana, Holiday would have the opportunity to play alongside his brother Justin, and he would fill a hole in the Pacers backcourt after Darren Collison unexpectedly retired.
The Lakers could be an intriguing landing spot for Holiday because they need to fill out most parts of their roster, but that slew of signings likely will not occur until Leonard makes his decision.
Prediction: Holiday signs with Pacers.
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Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference
