The New York Knicks are trying to enter the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, and expect to have meetings with both Leonard and Kevin Durant prior to meeting with other free agents, according to The Athletic‘s Frank Isola.
Both Leonard and Durant are now officially unrestricted free agents after Durant opted out of his $31.5-million player option earlier today.
New York has long been rumoured as a potential destination for top-tier free agents this off-season given their available cap space, and their interest in Durant despite his ruptured Achilles’ and pending year-long recovery is well-documented.
Leonard already has a free agency meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers reportedly slated for July 2, and the potential he gives the Knicks a look as well should not come as a surprise, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“I do think Kawhi will give the Knicks a look. There’s a relationship between Dennis Robertson [“Uncle Dennis”], his advisor, and Steve Mills, they go way back”
: @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/8Wns4gF7Na
— Knicks Film School (@KnickFilmSchool) June 20, 2019
Durant averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 208 regular-season games for Golden State, and helped lead the franchise to back-to-back NBA title victories over LeBron James’s Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 and 2018.
Leonard spent last season in Toronto, averaging 26.6 points per game, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists during 60 regular season games before leading the Raptors to their first-ever NBA Championship.
The NBA’s moratorium period during which meetings can be held begins on June 30, with contracts able to be officially signed on July 6 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
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