Drake mounts recruitment campaign to keep Kawhi Leonard in Toronto
It feels like everyone in the country is holding their breath, waiting for a sign that could come at any minute between now and July 6, announcing whether or not Kawhi Leonard will re-sign with the Toronto Raptors.
Fans are desperate for any new information.
Marc Stein, The New York Times' NBA reporter, tweeted a list of "what we know" so far about where Leonard will side.
His only reassuring point was that the Raptors have not slowed down their efforts to keep Leonard in the North. Stein claims that the team's global ambassador, Drake has even started his own "recruiting campaign," but it is unclear what this endeavour pertains.
3. The Raptors haven't backed off one centimeter and Drake is said to be mounting his own recruiting campaign on top of whatever the freshly minted champions are doing to convince him to stay
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 2, 2019
Drake did fly Leonard home on his private jet from Oakland, Calif., after Game 6 of the NBA Finals, but if he is going to convince Leonard, there must be a more elaborate plan.
At the moment, Drake's efforts are left to fans' imaginations.
Leonard has "insisted on total silence," which explains why everyone has remained tight lipped throughout this agonizing process.
2. Officials from both the Lakers and Clippers appear to determined to say as little as possible -- less than ever for a free agent of this prominence as @ryenarussillo likes to say -- to avoid upsetting Kawhi's camp when they have insisted on total silence
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 2, 2019
Stein also acknowledged that the Lakers believe they are in the lead because of recent conversations he's had with Magic Johnson, as well as the draw of Lebron James. If Leonard agreed to go to Los Angeles, he would complete a super team.
What we know:
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 2, 2019
1. The Lakers, as we've been saying for more than a week now, believe they are firmly in the lead largely through the recruiting efforts and assurances made on separate fronts from Magic Johnson and LeBron James ...
Hopefully the Canadian fan base and Raptors' NBA Championship can convince him otherwise.
