Kawhi Leonard is keeping us guessing, although we might already have a pretty good idea of the team the free agent is set to join in the near future. The former Raptors man could soon be joining LeBron, and won’t that make the Lakers unstoppable?
Of the who’s who in the NBA, most stars have already signed deals with new teams, or have renegotiated their contracts with current teams while Leonard is still sitting on the fence, unsure of the direction he wants to steer his career. What could be going through his mind?
$10,000 Bet
Last week, however, a bet placed on the Lakers to clinch the title next season fueled rumors of a possible move for the star to the team. According to pundits, the $10,000 could very well be the indication of a new signing that everyone has been waiting for.
To further cement these claims, LA Times’ Arash Markazi, while also acknowledging that the bet could have simply been placed by a confident individual, took us back to the last time a similar amount of money was placed on the Los Angeles team. That it was just before they announced that they’d signed Anthony Davis makes the Leonard narrative that more plausible.
It soon came out that the bettor who placed the previous bet had some insider knowledge on the dealings of the teams, but liability limits have been put in place to cushion betting companies from unwarranted payouts.
This time around, no one has any idea whether the bettor knows something we don’t, but Lakers fans have their fingers crossed. All they can do is hope that Leonard joins their ranks, and they eventually end up winning it all.
Teaser or Just A Plain Tweet?
It is this hope that’s making them interpret everything as a tease for Leonard’s arrival, including a tweet from LeBron that got tongues wagging. Soon after the Lakers signed Davis, LeBron gave up his jersey (No. 23) to the incoming player, going back to his No. 6 days.
The ace then tweeted his new jersey number followed by the prayer emoji, sending the online community into a frenzy. Those who think that this was a Leonard teaser explain it thus; Leonard’s former team is the Raptors, and he’s just guided them to a championship win.
The Raptors hail from Toronto, a city nicknamed The Six, largely thanks to Drake popularizing the name. As for the emoji, the theorists associate it with Drake’s similar symbol that has been around throughout his career. Makes sense, come to think of it, no?
Having said that, we must admit that Kawhi Leonard has several interesting choices ahead of him. First, he could go back to the Raptors, signing a long-term contract while at it.
This move will see him try to defend the championship he contributed so much in winning, as will also a one-year contract that could also be potentially on the table.
The shorter deal carries with it the promise of a huge windfall come the offseason, and no one would blame the player if he chooses that route. But then again, he could also join LeBron and Davis, and form a deadly trio. Only time will tell!
