Raptors Reportedly in the 'Driver's Seat' to Score Kawhi Leonard

ESPN's Brian Windhorst revealed the team made a "compelling offer" to the Spurs for Kawhi Leonard.

Waiting for Leonard in free agency is a unsafe game for the Lakers as seen just a few weeks ago with Paul George.

Leonard widely has been reported to have interest in playing in Los Angeles, although it's unclear if he has specific interest in joining the Lakers, the Clippers or either one.

Lowe responded that if he were running the Raptors, he would offer DeMar DeRozan, Pascal Siakam, and at least one first-round pick.

On Tuesday, the latest comes from (are you sitting down?) ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, who teamed up for this story on Leonard considering taking part in USA Basketball's mini-camp in Las Vegas scheduled for next week (he was one of 35 players invited back in April). Injuries limited Leonard to just nine games last season, but he averaged a career-high 25.5 points per game in the previous season, in addition to 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Last week we covered the two fundamental risks involved in dealing for Leonard.

The report also indicates the Lakers are not prioritizing a trade for Leonard, opting instead to trust he will want to join them in free agency next summer.

The Lakers, Celtics, 76ers, Clippers, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Suns, Wizards and Raptors have all talked with the Spurs about possible deals for the two-time All-Star.

Toronto would be able to offer Leonard a five-year, $190 million contract next summer.

The Spurs have likewise been apprehensive in searching for a deal, reports Wojnarowski. His slow recovery from it led to a rift between he and the team, but the Spurs could be retaining hope they can convince Leonard to return to play in San Antonio next season.

Leonard and Popovich reportedly met in San Diego days later to determine if the two sides could fix the relationship.

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