Kawhi Leonard Talking To Players About Free Agency, Brooklyn A Possibility: Report

New Toronto Raptors signing Kawhi Leonard is reportedly already in contact with other players about his potential free agency in 2019.

Leonard was traded by the San Antonio Spurs to the Raptors last week along with Danny Green in a package that saw his old side receive DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poltl and a protected 2019 first round draft pick.

However, when it emerged that Leonard wanted a move away from San Antonio in early June, it was clear his preference was a move to his native Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Lakers seemed the prime destination for the 2014 Finals MVP, but with them being a Western Conference rival, as well as the Spurs' steep demands, a move to the Staples Center would have to wait at least until 2019 as Leonard had a year left on his current deal.

It also emerged that despite initial reports of him wanting to play alongside new Lakers acquisition LeBron James, that was no longer the case as Leonard instead preferred a move to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Regardless, he is with Toronto for the next year at least, with the expectation that he will become a free agent come the end of the 2018-19 season where he will then be free to join any team of his choosing.

The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jason Zeigler though, wrote last week that someone in Leonard's inner circle claimed the 28-year-old would not be leaving Toronto after a year. In addition, Raptors president Masai Ujiri was confident he could sell the idea of staying in Toronto to Leonard.

"Our team. Our culture. Our city. Our ownership," Ujiri said in a press conference last week. "We have everything here except a championship."

However, according to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star speaking on the "Back To Back" Podcast, Leonard is already planning out his future after Toronto with potential teammates.

Arthur even adds that it is not just Los Angeles which could be a destination for Leonard but also the Brooklyn Nets who will be in good cap space shape in 2019.

"One thing I was told last night is that Kawhi Leonard had already been planning out his free agency for next year and he had already been in contact with other star players in the league and saying 'Hey, where might you want to play with me? What are we looking at?'" Arthur said, as quoted on 247Sports.

"It wasn't just L.A. he was talking about. Brooklyn [Nets] was maybe somewhere. They're going to have a ton of cap space. That might have been a possibility. So Kawhi has already been thinking ahead to pairing up and playing at a highest level."

If that is the case, it is certainly not unexpected. Trading for Leonard, who had just one year remaining on his deal and had just played nine games throughout last season, was always going to be a risk. Toronto will do well if they can get Leonard to stay on.