There’s still interest, but no teams involved in the Kawhi trade talks seem to feel too much urgency to get a deal done immediately.
While many anticipated a slow start to NBA free agency due to LeBron James likely taking some time to mull his decision, there was a flurry of activity shortly after midnight on July 1 as the majority of teams and players decided not to wait on the King’s next move before they locked up their money.
Whether a product of a market that was thin on money or simply teams and players deciding they didn’t need to be held up by one player’s move, there was no shortage of signings in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The biggest of those were Chris Paul inking a 4-year max in Houston and Paul George doing the same in Oklahoma City in a stunning decision with regards to the length of his contract.
With George officially staying with the Thunder, that puts the Lakers in an interesting position as they work to land LeBron James and possibly another big name this summer. There are grumblings that DeMarcus Cousins might be their target on a short-term deal to avoid locking in a huge contract on him after his Achilles injury. The other option for a legitimate star is trading for Kawhi Leonard, but after a frenzy of discussion ahead of the opt-in date for James, talks have apparently cooled pretty significantly as free agency has begun.
