2018 NBA Free Agency Odds: Kemba and Kawhi Could Be Cleveland Bound

• Sportsbooks are offering new odds on where some of the NBA’s best players will be when the 2018-19 season tips off
• Are the Spurs and Kawhi Leonard headed for a messy divorce?
• Will Charlotte finally pull the trigger on a trade for Kemba Walker?

The NBA’s annual free agency period is scheduled to begin on July 1st and life, as we know it, may never be the same again. The league’s landscape could be irrevocably altered within a matter of minutes as marquee players like LeBron James, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard potentially change teams.

Online sportsbooks have joined the mayhem and are offering fresh new odds on where some of the league’s most talked about stars will begin the 2018-19 NBA season. We’ve included their prognostications below along with our own expert analysis.

LeBron James

Those closest to LeBron insist that his decision will come down to the Cavaliers and the Lakers. Cleveland can offer him considerably more money and an easier path to the NBA Finals, while Los Angeles can offer him a younger and more malleable roster.

There are pros and cons for each franchise and James will likely endure a few sleepless nights as he considers where to finish his Hall of Fame career.

Decision 3.0 will ultimately be about securing LeBron’s legacy. The four-time MVP has said all along that he’s chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan, and few teams give him a better chance to overtake his Airness than the Lakers. In addition to having two max slots and a tantalizing young core, LA also possesses enough assets to land a third marquee player this summer.

The Lakers and Cavaliers are reportedly front-runners to sign LeBron James this summer, reports @WindhorstESPN.

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 22, 2018

Plenty of players have won multiple championships, but not even Jordan led three different teams to the Finals. Expect that fact to factor heavily in his decision.

Kawhi Leonard

If Kawhi Leonard played for any Franchise other than the Spurs he would have been dealt weeks ago. However, San Antonio is not like any other franchise. They’re deliberate, pragmatic, and refuse to be pushed around. Those qualities have allowed the Spurs to win five championships and 13 division titles since 1999, and they’ll continue to be evident as they ponder what to do with their two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

People are so quick to forget about the greatness of Kawhi Leonard. In the 2015-2016 NBA season, he was 3rd in MVP voting and some people argued he was a Top 2-3 player in the league. Can’t wait to see a healthy Kawhi on the court. pic.twitter.com/fYTTuNxrhZ

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 26, 2018

The Spurs have already rebuffed multiple teams, and frankly it’s easy to imagine them holding onto Leonard until the trade deadline in February just to teach him a painful lesson about the value of loyalty. It would be a disastrous basketball decision, of course, but it might just be the right life decision.

Don’t be surprised if San Antonio holds onto Kawhi until the trade rumors reach a crescendo and a team is forced to dramatically overpay for his services.

Paul George

The FIELD is the smart play here, as Paul George has been dropping hints for years that he’s LA-bound. The Palmdale native grew up in Southern California and spent countless hours dreaming of playing in the Lakers backcourt alongside his personal idol, Kobe Bryant.

Attorney and Lakers season ticket holder Jacob Emrani, who put up 4 billboards recruiting LeBron in March, has paid for over 40 billboards for Paul George. There are six different designs, all have the #PG2LA with three designs including LeBron with George. Here’s one billboard: pic.twitter.com/xHoHaItlqC

— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) June 25, 2018

The Thunder can offer him more money and security, but you can’t put a price on achieving your childhood dream. Expect George to sign on the dotted line with the Lakers as soon as free agency begins on July 1st.

Kemba Walker

If Kemba Walker had a nickel for every time his name popped up in a trade rumor he’d be able to buy the Hornets outright. The two-time All-Star has repeatedly been dangled by the team’s front office despite the fact he’s only 28, is a model citizen, and is Charlotte’s all-time leader in points scored after just seven seasons.

Charlotte obviously values Walker’s contributions on and off the court, but they’re also dangerously close to the NBA’s luxury-tax threshold, and the UConn product remains one of their few tradable assets.

Possible trade:
Cavs get: Kemba Walker, Marvin Williams, Paul George, & Hassan Whiteside
Hornets get: George Hill & #8 pick
Thunder get: Kyle Korver & Jordan Clarkson
Heat get: Tristan Thompson & Cedi Osman

— Cavs Chat (@LetsChatCavs) June 17, 2018

If Walker is dealt – and that remains a big if – it will be to the Cavaliers. Cleveland is trying to move Heaven and Earth to convince LeBron to stay and is rumored to be offering a package centered around rookie point guard Collin Sexton and sixth man Jordan Clarkson. It’s a less than enticing deal for the Hornets, but it would help them to shed salary and begin their rebuild in earnest.

Expect the Hornets to take plenty of calls, but to ultimately begin the season with Walker as their starting lineup.

Markelle Fultz

It’s hard to imagine a team giving up on the top pick in the NBA Draft  after just 14 games, but stranger things have happened. Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Ray Allen, and Pau Gasol were all traded before their rookie seasons, and Anthony Bennett was unceremoniously shipped to the Timberwolves after 52 games with the Cavaliers.

The 76ers haven’t completely lost faith in Markelle Fultz and his funky shot just yet, but the franchise did make him available last week on draft night and are willing to part with the 20-year-old “shooting” guard for the right price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv3eYk8mnE0

That price, incidentally, is believed to be Kawhi Leonard, whom the Sixers view as the missing piece to help vault them past the Celtics and Cavaliers in the East. If San Antonio decides to make a deal, Philadelphia would happily send them a package including Fultz, incoming rookie Zhaire Smith, and free agent marksman JJ Redick.

For now, count on Philadelphia to trust the process and continue to develop Fultz along with the rest of their talented young core.

Chris Paul

The Rockets are the leaders in the clubhouse for retaining Chris Paul, and it’s hard to imagine that changing. Houston can offer the nine-time All-Star more money than any other team while also giving him the best chance of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in his 13-year career. That’s an alluring combination for an ultra-competitive player like Paul. Expect this deal to get done quickly so Houston can begin filling out the rest of its roster.

DeAndre Jordan

A week ago it seemed like a certainty that DeAndre Jordan would opt into the final year and $24.1 million of his current deal with the Clippers, but that was before LA dealt Austin Rivers to Washington for center Marcin Gortat. Was the move done merely to clear up playing time for rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson, as many suspect, or does management know that Jordan is about to leave the roost?

Doc Rivers trying to stop the Austin Rivers trade like… pic.twitter.com/wjzuenv8qM

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) June 27, 2018

Jordan probably won’t be able to fetch a larger annual salary on the open market, but he could land a longer deal with a team like the Mavs.  That kind of security could be very appealing to a 29-year-old pivot who depends so heavily on his athleticism. Count on him exploring all of his options in the coming days.

NBA Player Movement Odds

Take a closer look at the graph below to see the fluctuating odds for each player we’ve discussed.

Visit our 2018 NBA Free Agency Tracker to see all the movement during the league’s busy offseason.

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