NBA: Kawhi's Free Agency Delay 'Kinda Sucked', Says Lakers New Signing

Troy Daniels signed a one-year veteran minimum with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency after spending the previous campaign with Phoenix Suns. The shooting guard said free agency initially “kinda sucked” for him because Kawhi Leonard was holding it up and making it hard for other free agents to find teams.

Leonard was the most sought after free agent this summer and many teams were holding cap space in order to have the chance of signing the 2019 NBA Champion. He eventually chose the Los Angeles Clippers leaving the likes of the Lakers and Toronto Raptors hanging despite holding multiple meetings with interested franchises.

Daniels admits that the interest for his services was limited and the 28-year-old was certain that he would not command a large contract offer. He confirmed that the Lakers were the first to make an offer despite interest from Golden State Warriors and a couple of other teams.

“It was a hectic time, for sure. Kawhi Leonard was kind of holding up free agency because a lot of teams wanted to hold onto their salary-cap room to give it all to him because they thought they had a real shot at getting him. It kind of sucked for me. Around that time, I knew my market wasn’t that big, but I figured I could probably make $3 million or $4 million for the upcoming season,” Daniels told Hoops Hype.

The shooting guard admitted that it was a no-brainer to accept the deal from the Los Angeles franchise despite it being a veteran’s minimum offer. The Lakers are second favorites for the 2020 NBA title after adding Anthony Davis to partner LeBron James and Daniels is certain it was the best option for him.

“The Lakers were the first to come with an offer. It was a vet minimum deal, but it was almost a no-brainer. They’re trying to build a championship team for this season and opportunities like that don’t come along very often. I felt like it was the best decision for my career,” he added.

Daniels is confident the current Lakers team can go far as he believes they have a right mixture of experienced and upcoming stars. He says their ultimate goal is to win the NBA championship but their first target is to end the franchise’s playoff drought which has dragged on for a record six seasons.