Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard is the biggest fish on the free-agent market this season. He will be recovering from ACL surgery, which he had earlier in July after injuring his knee in the LA Clippers’ second-round series against the Utah Jazz.
Despite the injury, Leonard will assuredly land a max contract this season. We saw it with Kevin Durant two years ago when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets despite recovering and rehabbing an injury. Who will that max contract come from? The New York Knicks.
New York is in a position to make a big splash this offseason. They have a ton of cap space and draft capital to make moves. They can offer a max contract to Kawhi Leonard, making up for the reports that they didn’t offer one to Durant when he was in free agency.
Signing a player such as Leonard would mean the Knicks can keep all of their assets, namely RJ Barrett, in the fold to continue building up the roster.
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While Kawhi Leonard may miss the entire 2021-22 season, New York would be in a position to be contenders for the 2022-23 season getting Leonard back into the fold and having another offseason to upgrade the roster.
