Either way there's legitimate reasons why Kahwi would be reticent to join the Lakers, including willingly taking on the third role after leading a Toronto squad. Bomani and Pablo lay it out perfectly. Possible 10(!) guys on minimum contracts!
https://twitter.com/bomani_jones/status/1144712073466777600?s=20
And there are legitimate reasons why he shouldn't reticent to join the Lakers.
1. Why would Kawhi Leonard be the third option when he's better than both James and Davis at this point in their careers? James
was better and maybe Davis
will be better. The third option take doesn't make any sense from a basketball standpoint yet I haven't heard any analyst bring this up. If he signed with the Lakers, he would immediately be the first option on most nights. Maybe it would be Davis sometimes depending on the matchup.
Also, here's Leonard himself saying,
"I just want to win, I don't care about being the best player."2. Whether Kawhi Leonard should join a superteam when he led his team to a championship goes both ways. These analysts keep ignoring the fact that the 2019 Finals went to six games despite the Warriors losing two starters. The Raptors had to triple team Steph Curry and they still almost lost Game 6. The Finals were a cautionary tale regarding superteams, but we know they work. What are the chances that two superstars go down with catastrophic injuries in the same series?
Kawhi Leonard doesn't have anything else to prove. If he joins a superteam, no one is going to give him **** like they did with Kevin Durant. If Leonard cares primarily about winning and career longevity, he
should join a superteam even if it
isn't the Lakers. It's just easier on your body when you don't have carry so much. There were times in these playoffs when Leonard just looked tired. Dude is 28. Analysts and retired players like to dunk on superteams and wax nostalgic about the competitiveness of the 80s and 90s. We're in a different era now.
3. Who cares if the Lakers have to sign a bunch of players on minimum contracts? There are players who are overpaid and underpaid every year. Salary doesn't dictate skill or contribution. I don't like that players take less money. More importantly, we all know that they do for whatever reason.
"Depth" is like eight or nine deep and only 13 players can be on the active roster a night. It wouldn't be
that difficult to find decent minimum contract role players after using the mid-level exception.
Anyway, I'm fascinated by but not sold on Kawhi Leonard signing with the Lakers. I just have a hard time taking these tired, one-sided takes seriously week after week. Honestly, I'm conflicted. A team led by Leonard, Davis, and James would be fun to watch but they'd be a lot more fun to watch against a fully loaded, healthy Warriors team which we won't get this upcoming season.