Hope is not dead just yet.
Kawhi Leonard, superstar and Finals MVP for the Toronto Raptors, has reportedly declined his player option. With the LA Clippers remaining the frontrunner outside of Toronto with a ghost of a chance to acquire his services, this move is Step One (or really, Step Zero) on the road to him leaving the team he just brought to an NBA championship victory.
The Clippers have kept Leonard as a focal point of their free agency acquisitions, for obvious reasons: He’s shown interest in the organization, is from Southern California, prefers them over the Lakers, and he’s one of the greatest basketball players on the planet today.