![Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol and Danny Green are expected to enter the free-agency market this offseason – [Image Credit: NBA.com/Youtube]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2019/6/17/660x290/b_502x220x82/kawhi-leonard-marc-gasol-and-danny-green-are-expected-to-enter-the-free-agency-market-this-offseason-image-credit-nbacomyoutube_2280037.jpg "Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol and Danny Green are expected to enter the free-agency market this offseason – [Image Credit: NBA.com/Youtube]")
Fresh from winning an NBA title, Marc Gasol and Danny Green addressed to the media their free-agency plans during their end-of-the-season media availability on Sunday.
As for Kawhi Leonard’s next destination, a newly-formed powerhouse team in the Western Conference is already sending fillers suggesting their interest in adding the service of the “Klaw” next season.
The Raptors made their triumphant return north of the border on Sunday a couple of days after winning their first NBA championship at the expense of the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Before going back home, the team took a two-day leisure stop in Las Vegas to celebrate their epic 2019 NBA championship run. According to reports, Raptors global ambassador and hypeman Drake was the one who organized and hosted the team’s post-championship party in Vegas.
But now that the Raptors are finally back home along with the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the coaching staff and several players – including soon-to-be free agents Marc Gasol and Danny Green – faced the media to answer questions’ regarding their next plan heading into the offseason.
Marc Gasol
Gasol, who came to Toronto in February as the centerpiece of the trade that sent Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J Miles and a 2024 second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies, is still on cloud nine as he reflects on the Raptors’ incredible championship run that really no one saw coming.
When asked about his $25.5 million player option for next season, Gasol revealed that he hasn’t decided on that much yet, knowing the fact the Raptors have higher priorities to deal with first.
The Spaniard might not have given clarity on his free-agency status, but he did point out that Kawhi Leonard’s decision, whether he stays with the Raptors or join the rumored top suitor Los Angeles Clippers in the west coast, will have an impact on his future with the team.
Marc Gasol, asked if winning a championship was what he thought it would be. "Yeah, but with a lot more beer than expected."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 16, 2019
Gasol says he hasn't thought about his player option much yet, understands the franchise probably has higher priorities to deal with first and they'll figure out his contract status from there.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 16, 2019
Gasol says that the Kawhi decision will impact the franchise in many ways, admits it could also impact his future in Toronto.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 16, 2019
"I don't think there's any other player of his calibre in the NBA right now. He's on a pedestal by himself."
Danny Green
Green is another player that found some luck in Toronto after a whirlwind of a summer that had him shipped along with Leonard from San Antonio.
The 31-year-old NBA veteran didn’t hide his interest of re-signing with the Raptors, though he’s aware of the business of the league and that anything can happen this summer.
As for the “Kawhi effect” on his free-agency decision, Green also admitted that the 2019 NBA Finals MVP will also influence his free-agency plans to some degree, believing that a player of his caliber can change the landscape of the entire league.
Danny Green, a free agent-to-be, says he'd love to be back to Toronto. He and Kawhi both have decisions to make, and while he says they will be separate decisions, he admits Kawhi's will impact everybody to some degree. "He can change a whole organization."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 16, 2019
Kawhi Leonard
Speaking of Leonard, the Raptors superstar has maintained his silence regarding his free-agency plans this summer.
He just became the third player to win a Finals MVP in two different teams (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James are the two others) after chalking up 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists with a shooting line of 43.3 FG%/34.9 3-PT%/89.4 FT%.
Multiple NBA teams are expected to line up for Leonard, but Brian Windhorst of ESPN believes the Raptors, Clippers, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets are the five major players in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes. The Los Angeles Lakers, after trading for Anthony Davis, expressed their intention to add Kawhi Leonard to their core.
