New York Knicks: Early connections exist with top 2019 free agents

Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard‘s free agency arguably holds the most intrigue of anyone set to hit the open market. He wanted Los Angeles, but landed in Toronto last July, after the San Antonio Spurs sent him and Danny Green to the Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first-round pick.

It’s a one-season trial for Leonard in Canada, with the assumption he opts out of the projected $20 million to hit free agency and receive a four or five-year deal.

Suitors will line up for the potential 2018-19 MVP candidate, maybe including both Los Angeles teams. What about the New York Knicks, though?

In July, Marc Berman of The New York Post reported a “puncher’s chance” for the Knicks and Leonard in 2019. It’s due to familiarity with the area, after spending most of 2017-18 in the New York/New Jersey area, rehabbing a quad injury.

Berman noted the competition will be “fierce” for Leonard, without naming who may enter the mix.

It’s a situation that can trend in any direction, even surprising everyone to stay in Toronto, a la Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The former Defensive Player of the Year may like Drake Country and commit long-term, which puts a thorn into any interested party’s plans.

For now, the Knicks don’t sit at the forefront of Leonard’s free agency, but neither does anyone else, and that won’t change until Midnight ET on July 1, 2019.