The Knicks were never part of Kawhi’s plans.
Kawhi Leonard had the entire NBA world waiting upon his free agency decision, this summer. In the end, Leonard’s decision came down to three teams: the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Toronto Raptors. Kawhi eventually chose the Clippers and the rest is history. At the time, there were rumors that he might be interested in the New York Knicks, although he never gave them an interview.
Recently, Leonard was asked about the Knicks and whether or not he took them seriously. Leonard eventually told reporters that they were never really in his plans, which is something some fans took as a dig. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks don’t seem to care about Leonard’s slight and are using it to validate some of their offseason choices.
Per the New York Post:
“Knicks brass, however, did not consider Leonard’s comment a blow. In fact, it only confirmed the decision to pass on a meeting with the 2019 Finals MVP that would have taken place four days into free agency.
The Post reported then that the Knicks considered themselves extreme long shots for Leonard. When they found out a meeting couldn’t take place until after he met with the Lakers, Clippers and Raptors, they decided to move on and sign players to fill their $70 million worth of cap space.”
The Knicks are currently 14th in the Eastern Conference and are in the middle of a rebuild. While Leonard would have been nice, he certainly wouldn’t have fit within their plan.
