Kawhi was reportedly determined to compete against LeBron & AD.
Kawhi Leonard was reportedly on the verge signing with the Los Angeles Lakers before the Clippers pulled f a blockbuster trade to land Paul George at the last minute, and thus, secured a commitment from the two-time Finals MVP. Now that the dust has settled, some new details have emerged about Kawhi’s decision-making process, including how he never truly wanted to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis after all.
The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears writes, “A source told The Undefeated early last week that there was ‘no way’ Leonard was going to sign as a free agent with LeBron] James, Anthony] Davis and the Lakers despite speculation they were the front-runners.”
While Leonard was reportedly against forming a super team with LeBron and AD on the Lakers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski notes that he would have ultimately done so had the Clippers not arranged a deal with the Thunder for Paul George.
In fact, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reports that Leonard had even reached out to Kevin Durant to try to convince him to join the Clippers as well.
Leonard, 27, ultimately signed a four-year deal with the Clippers worth $142 million. He averaged 26.6 points and 7.6 rebounds last season while leading Toronto to its first NBA title this past season.