Kawhi Leonard Says He Never Wanted to Meet or Sign with Knicks in Free Agency
Over the summer, it was reported the New York Knicks backed out of a meeting with Kawhi Leonard.
Turns out they never had a chance.
Leonard told reporters Saturday that he never had any interest in meeting with the Knicks, and the franchise had no shot of signing the reigning Finals MVP. The Toronto Raptors and both Los Angeles franchises (Clippers, Lakers) were the only three teams to meet with Leonard before he inked a deal with the Clippers.
We'll file this one under things we already knew without them being said.
The Knicks couldn't even get meetings with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant despite them both being long-rumored for the franchise. Their free-agency period was such a fiasco that the franchise sent out a press release essentially apologizing to the fanbase, something that's borderline unheard of.
With no real ties to the New York City area, nothing to offer in terms of a co-star and three vastly superior options in front of him—including two in his hometown—Leonard was never going to consider the Knicks. Even if Leonard were to entertain the notion of playing in New York, it's unlikely the Knicks could have come close to the package the Clippers sent to Oklahoma City in exchange for Paul George.
It's unclear if the Knicks ever did approach Leonard about a meeting or if the rumors were just typical free-agency scuttlebutt. But all sides involved knew there was no match there, nor any real reason to have a face-saving meeting.
