Cris Carter reports that Lakers, Clippers and Raptors are all still in Kawhi Leonard chase, decision may not come soon

It seemed like Kawhi Leonard Watch was coming to an end Wednesday afternoon, as ESPN deliberately teased the arrival of chief newsbreaker Adrian Wojnarowski to deliver an update. Unfortunately, the league remains in wait, and Leonard’s decision isn’t expected to come soon.

This bit of news comes from Cris Carter — a former NFL player who used to have the same agent as Leonard, Mitch Frankel — who reported that Leonard is still considering all three teams and will continue to take his time to make a decision:

Leonard is reportedly in Toronto, having granted the Raptors the last meeting of the three teams. Although flying out to Toronto from Los Angeles would seem to be an unnecessary move if he was planning on leaving the Raptors, it’s worth noting that Dwight Howard came to L.A. to tell the Lakers “no” back in 2013. There is no script for this sort of process.

The major highlights from Carter’s announcement are that no team has been eliminated, and that there is no timeline for when we can expect Leonard to officially decide. Technically, free agents aren’t allowed to sign until July 6, so it would be ideal for Leonard to decide by then so that he doesn’t impede any actual league business, but he doesn’t appear to be in any rush.

Because there hasn’t been much leaking from Leonard’s camp, and his people are purportedly asking the teams to keep silent about their meetings, there is no indication about what Leonard is prioritizing for his next team. Does he want the stability and championship-ready roster in Toronto? Does he want to come back home to Los Angeles? If so, would he prefer to lead his own team or join superstars with the Lakers? All of these questions have been left unanswered, and since Carter said all three teams are still involved, it appears that Leonard himself doesn’t know the answers.

The good news for Lakers fans is that they are still in the hunt. Theoretically, the longer this takes, the more likely it is that Leonard leaves Toronto. He already has all the information he needs about that organization, but he is still learning about the L.A. teams. If he needs time to make his decision, perhaps that’s because he is in fact-finding mode. Hopefully, he likes what he uncovers about the Lakers.

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