Offseason targets No. 1: Kawhi Leonard
The grand prize target in free agency come next offseason that a lot of teams around the NBA landscape will look to land is the Los Angeles Clippers superstar forward Kawhi Leonard. The 29-year-old former San Diego State Aztec Leonard was originally set to be a part of one of the most high-profile free agent classes in modern NBA history.
Since teams like the Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers signed top players that were originally set to be free agents in 2021 to contract extensions like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, the fruitfulness in this group has died down a bit. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Kawhi sweepstakes will be one of the main headlines of the impending offseason.
That is if the Clippers aren’t able to re-sign Kawhi before he hits the restricted free agent market next offseason.
The allure that the Bulls should have to Kawhi if he does hit free agency should be sizable. Karnisovas made it known at the trade deadline this year that he wants the Bulls to be a destination that stars want to play in. That is a tough assignment for the Bulls’ new front office, but one that he did move closer to by landing Vucevic at the deadline.
Landing a superstar like Kawhi, to pair along with Vucevic and LaVine, would make the Bulls an immediate title contender in the East. The idea of them landing Kawhi might seem far-fetched at the moment, but it’s one they at least moved a little bit closer to after landing Vucevic last week.