Kawhi Leonard Favored To Sign With Toronto Raptors, Spurn Los Angeles Clippers, After 2019 NBA Finals

The Los Angeles Clippers had been the favorites to sign Kawhi Leonard for the bulk of the season, even as the Toronto Raptors won the Eastern Conference. Now that the team is three victories away from upsetting the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals, the betting odds finally suggest that Leonard is more likely than not to remain north of the border for next year.

According to OddsShark, the Raptors are the new favorites to sign Leonard in free agency. Toronto has -105 odds, putting them slightly ahead of the Clippers and their +120 odds.

The Kawhi Leonard Sweepstakes is largely thought to be a two-team race, even though he’ll be pursued by just about every team that has space under the salary cap to give out a max contract.

The Brooklyn Nets have +650 odds to sign Leonard. The Los Angeles Lakers are +800 long shots, despite Leonard’s affinity for L.A. and reports that he’s already been contacted by LeBron James.

The shift in odds might be directly linked to the report by Toronto 1050’s Michael Landsberg that said Leonard has bought a home in Toronto. True Hoop’s David Thorpe also reported this week that Leonard might return to the Raptors for the 2019-2020 season.

Leonard could stay with Toronto without making a long-term commitment. He could sign a short contract or pick up his $21.3 million player option for next year.

Leonard’s previous real estate purchase has been viewed as a reason to think he’s headed to Southern California this summer. It was reported in January that he spent $13.3 million on a house in San Diego.

Plenty of reports still indicate that Leonard is leaning toward signing with the Clippers. Los Angeles seems to be very confident in their chances of landing the player Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers recently compared to Michael Jordan.

Perhaps Toronto’s playoff run has forced Leonard to reconsider his future. Tied 1-1 in their series with the Warriors before Game 3, the Raptors have a real chance to win their first championship in franchise history.