The 2019 NBA Free Agency is destined to be one of the most talked about in the history of the league. There will be game-changing deals and where an All-Star should end up will certainly recalibrate a team's ability to win. Ahead of June 30, the biggest question to date is where the most notable free agent superstars will play next.
Like in the case of Klay Thompson, who most likely will not see in action for Season 2019-20. He will need to rest up and do rehab sessions following his ACL surgery. It will be a long vacation for the Warriors All-Star but since he is eligible to enter free agency, NBA teams can't help but send feelers.
One of them is the Los Angeles Lakers, in which Thompson would further reinforce the already potent tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Yet most likely, Thompson is staying where he is at, CBS Sports said, adding the Warriors will give to Thompson what is due him - a four-year super-max that will pay a whopping $190 million.
It's the same thing with fellow Warrior Kevin Durant, who analysts believe will negotiate for a super-max despite his injury problems. According to IBT Media, KB indeed is getting what he will bargain for but with a twist. The Warriors are rumored to offer him a sign-and-trade proposal, which Durant will accept as a win-win deal.
The pay could reach up to $221 million, in which KD will be paid by the GSW while in injury list next season. Then for Season 2020-21, Durant will be shipped to an interested team where he will have a secured contract for the next three years. The whispers have it that the receiving team is none other than the New York Knicks.
Now going to the north where one free agent has an impressive résumé - two NBA rings and two Finals MVP. That would be Kawhi Leonard, who is being chased by the Clippers, the Lakers and the Warriors. It's unsurprising that Leonard would consider picking the Lakers as he is an L.A. native and a homecoming would be irresistible. Not to mention that with the Lakers, scoring another championship next is not a bad prospect at all for the Toronto superstar.
But when all is said and done, Leonard might just go for the obvious - stick with the Toronto Raptors, shoot his way to another NBA Finals appearance and perhaps score another win.
As for the unpredictable Kyrie Irving, the All-Star still playing for Boston seems becoming a remote possibility as the day goes by. Irving getting a super-max might not just happen now for Irving as going by his most recent performance with the Celtics, it remains to be seen if he has already achieved a franchise player status, that's according to CBS.
That being said, the Brooklyn Nets are reportedly willing to give Irving a hard-to-turndown deal, and it will most likely be followed through if Durant will also pick the Nets as his next destination. Yes, Brooklyn is dreaming of forming its brand of a superteam headlined by the Irving-Durant tandem, which by the way will not see in action until after the next season.
