Kawhi Leonard Did Not Actually Accept a Free Trip to Barbados to Re-Sign With Raptors

Kevin Duran't devastating Achilles injury might just leave Kawhi Leonard as the NBA's most lauded free agent set to hit the market in roughly 72 hours.

And there's no doubting that the city of Toronto, and nation of Canada as a whole, has fallen in love with Kawhi this past season and will do just about anything to see The Klaw repping the purple and red threads for the foreseeable future. After all, he conducted the charge that delivered the city their first NBA Championship in franchise history.

But, even the most undoubting of fans raised eyebrows at a perplexing rumor that emerged on Thursday which claimed that Leonard accepted a free trip to Barbados as a bargaining chip to re-sign with the Raptors. Well, fast forward nearly 24 hours later, and that report has been swiftly neutralized.

Honestly, did anyone really think that the initial rumor was standing on sturdy legs? There's no questioning that Kawhi is a strange dude, but we sincerely doubt that he would use a free vacation as a bribe to ultimately determine where he'd spend the rest of his prime years in the Association. After all, he is a star player in the NBA, he brings in more than enough money to pay for a trip to Barbados on his own dollar.

Yes, Kawhi's decision could possibly shake-up the balance of the league for years to come, but let's not go out right and believe every outlandish rumor that surfaces -- unless, of course, it comes from someone of Woj's or Shams' prestige.