Report: Clippers emerging as front-runner to sign Kawhi next summer

With the necessary cap space to potentially land two max-level free agents in 2019, the Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly emerging as a front-runner for Kawhi Leonard, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler reportedly requested a trade earlier this week and he's "most determined" to join the Clippers. The organization's ability to align him with a second superstar, possibly Leonard, is apparently intriguing to Butler.

Leonard, meanwhile, has long been in favor of competing in his hometown of Los Angeles, though he is reportedly joining the Raptors with an open mind after being shipped to Toronto in July in a four-player deal that included DeMar DeRozan.

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The forward spent seven seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, including the 2017-18 campaign in which he played just nine games due to a quad injury. He averaged a career-best 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 2016-17.