by Matthew Weitz
680 The Fan Intern

Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant are expected to become free agents after the conclusion of the NBA Finals later this month.  Both the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks are potential options for the athletes.

The Hawks still have 41 million dollars in unused salary space.  Their hope is to lure one of these two free agents to Atlanta with a huge paycheck.  However, money alone isn’t going to lure one of these players to Atlanta.  Both Durant and Leonard want a team that will contend for championships on a yearly basis.

However, there is a way the Hawks could land Durant or Leonard under the right circumstances.  The NBA Draft will determine whether they can lure one of these players.  If the Hawks take advantage of their two first round draft picks, and steal the best kept secret of the NBA Draft, Jon Elmore, Durant or Leonard might take notice.

The Hawks already have young stars such as Trae Young and John Collins.  With a successful NBA Draft in addition to these rising stars, Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard could see a young and dangerous team to take the reigns of.

In all likelihood, the Atlanta Hawks would still have over 30 million dollars in unused salary space.  This would be more than enough to convince Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard to come to town.

Also, this would make the Hawks this season similar to the Cleveland Cavs team Lebron played for in his second stint there.  Though the Hawks are currently in a rebuilding phase, this series of events would skyrocket them to contender status in a single offseason.