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Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were introduced for the very first time as members of the Los Angeles Clippers yesterday, and while the team’s owner, Steve Ballmer, was the most amped up person in the room about the acquisitions, it turns out that both players needed one another in order to join the team. In other words, Leonard wasn’t coming to the Clippers unless they added another All-Star.
So, how do we know that? Because Kawhi Leonard said as much to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols during an interview following the press conference, admitting that he was “very close” to signing with either the Raptors or Lakers, but that an agreement to trade for George ultimately changed all that. Take a look below at what Leonard told Nichols.
Kawhi tells @Rachel__Nichols he was "very close" to picking the Lakers or Raptors before deciding to join the Clippers. pic.twitter.com/dp19yxYm67
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 24, 2019
That might come as a bit of a shock to some people. After all, Kawhi Leonard was the biggest fish in the NBA free agent pond this summer, so he had every opportunity to choose to play alongside superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers, among others, yet, went against that because he reportedly had no interest. And, once the Clippers made the move to acquire George, he found the reason he felt comfortable enough to join the “second” L.A. team.
To detail things a little more, The Athletic‘s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick gave the story of how Kawhi Leonard ultimately landed on his final decision, so take a look below.
“The Clippers had surmised early in free agency that they likely needed a co-star to secure Leonard. They understood that Leonard, who had rested 22 games during the 2018-19 season, spawning the term ‘load management,’ likely needed the right teammate to help ease the burden. By Monday’s meeting, time was running out before Leonard’s self-imposed deadline—the end of the week—to decide his future.
“Leonard was upfront that his decision would come down to the organization he believed presented him the best competitive window for the rest of his prime. The conversation at Rivers’ house centered on winning above all else—over money and geography and culture and accolades. Playing close to his home of Riverside, while a significant factor, was secondary to winning championships.”
From a pure basketball standpoint, it’s hard to believe that Leonard wouldn’t be raking in championships had he joined the Lakers. Let’s face it, a trio of he, James and Davis would, arguably, the most dominate Big 3 in NBA history. But Kawhi has always been a superteam killer, doing so with the Spurs against the Miami Heat in 2014, and then this past season when he led the Raptors over the Warriors, so it’s not in his DNA to just join a loaded roster.
Time will tell if he made the right decision or not, but with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George together with a talented Clippers squad that reached the playoffs last year, they’ve at least set themselves up as favorites to win a championship. And, if you’re a hoops fan, you should be happy Kawhi didn’t go the “easy” route by signing with other superstars who would have had the easiest path to a title.