Similarly to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers made in early exit in the 2019 Playoffs also losing to the Toronto Raptors in a pivotal game 7. That being said, the 76ers made an extensive amount of trades that currently fill out this roster. From big names such as Jimmy Butler and quite literally “big names” like Boban Marjanovic, the 76ers had a roster that seemed suited for a deep playoff run. However, at this time, many of the big names acquired throughout the course of the season find themselves wondering where they will end up in 2020. Marjanovic, Butler, and Tobias Harris are only a few out of the twelve players on the 76ers roster that are listed as Unrestricted Free Agents this offseason. Marjanovic is one of the few that seeks to stay with Philadelphia, while Butler and Harris may be projected to explore their options this offseason. Lakers’ Guard Josh Hart stated that it’d be “cool” if the Lakers developed a superteam, with Butler and Irving joining the team. There were initial reports of Butler potentially heading to Dallas, but realized there would be some form of difficulty between Butler and face of the new face of the organization Luka Doncic. Tobias Harris has little rumors flying around the media compared to Butler, but reports have shown that the Brooklyn Nets have showed interest in Harris, as they were also a team removed from the playoffs in the first round against the 76ers.
The San Antonio Spurs were the other half of the Kawhi Leonard trade, receiving Raptors SG Demar DeRozan. They made an early exit in the Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets in a 7-game series. Out of the entire Spurs roster, 6 players are becoming Free Agents, but perhaps the biggest name out of that group is Rudy Gay. Gay has always been known as a solid wing player throughout his career ever since he came into the league with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2006 after being traded from the Houston Rockets. There have been multiple reports from the Spurs organization that they do in fact want Rudy back in a Spurs uniform, stating that he played a key role this past season. There is a large chance that Gay stays with the Spurs, but it is unclear of what his intentions are this offseason.
At the time of this article being written, the Raptors are up against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals 3-1. If the Raptors manage to pull off a win at home, they will win the NBA Championship for the first time all at the same time it being their first time in the Finals at all. Win or lose this NBA Finals, this team must be considered one of the best teams in the league this year. The trade between the Spurs and the Raptors had a lot of fans wondering who got the better end of that deal, but a this point that is left for another discussion. What is up for discussion, however, is the big names in Toronto that will be Free Agents, NBA Champions or not. Recently acquire Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Marc Gasol were all players that were all acquired within the past year. But it is also true that these contracts will be up at the end of this season. Despite his experience and veteran presence on a team, Green has no real rumors going around in terms of Free Agency, which makes sense since all eyes around the series they are in rather than where he will be in months to come. This can also be said for Marc Gasol, minus the amount of Playoff experience he has in comparison to teammate Danny Green. However, the same cannot be said for starting SF for the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard. Teams around the league, both players and staff are watching the NBA Finals to of course see who wins the championship, but to also watch one of the biggest Free Agents this offseason next to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. Leonard is referred to as a priority to several other teams around the league, the Clippers, Lakers, and Knicks to name a few. If the Raptors do win the championship this year, it is less likely to see Leonard exploring his options this offseason. At this point, only time may tell where we may see Kawhi in 2020.
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