Kawhi Leonard Expected To Leave For Clippers Rather Than LeBron's Lakers

If Kawhi Leonard does leave the Toronto Raptors next year, it will be for the Los Angeles Clippers rather than the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN analyst Jalen Rose.

Leonard was traded by the San Antonio Spurs to the Raptors earlier this summer after expressing a desire to play in his native Los Angeles. The Lakers would go on to initiate discussions, but with Leonard having one year remaining on his deal, they were ultimately put off by San Antonio's excessive demands.

Instead, they look set to wait until 2019 when the two-time Defensive Player of the Year could potentially become an unrestricted free agent, and many have reported and speculated that Leonard leaving Toronto is a foregone conclusion.

However, recent reports seem to point at Leonard having a change of heart. It was reported last month that he was keeping an "open mind" about staying in Toronto while he recently purchased a home in the city. In addition, his teammate Danny Green claimed Leonard would find it hard to turn down the city of Toronto, which could play a role in his decision making next year.

"I don’t know where his mind is at for the future. I can’t predict or tell you," Green said on his podcast Tuesday. "I can just tell you that the city of Toronto is gonna be hard to turn down after being there."

"I’ve been going every summer for the past 10-plus years. It’s a great city and the fans are amazing. … I’m getting a great amount of feedback, a great amount of love and all types of different stuff from the fans. So it’s gonna be tough for him to turn down," he added.

Appearing on "Get Up!" recently, Rose, a former Raptor, agreed with Green's remarks about Toronto and when asked if the Lakers could face a repeat of the Paul George situation with Leonard, he made an interesting revelation.

"If Kawhi Leonard does leave Toronto, it won’t be for the Los Angeles Lakers," Rose said. "I think he wouldn’t want to play alongside LeBron James because I think that casts a shadow to his personality that he really doesn’t want."

"Classic media thing — he came out and said he wanted to play in California and everybody in the media was like 'He’s going to the Lakers'. He didn’t say that. If he leaves Toronto, in my opinion, it’s going to be for the Los Angeles Clippers. That’s said by the guy who initially told the world in January that the situation was fractured between Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs."

It's not the first time Leonard has been linked with the Clippers. The 28-year-old was initially linked to them when reports first came out that he wanted out of San Antonio.

And before getting traded to the Raptors, ESPN also reported that Leonard no longer had a preference to play with James as he did not want to play second fiddle to the 33-year-old, with the Clippers being his top choice.

Whatever happens in a year's time, reports and speculation about Leonard's future don't seem to be ending anytime soon.