The most sought-after player in this summer’s NBA free agency period, Kawhi Leonard, took his time to decide on a team. Following his decision to join the Los Angeles Clippers instead of the Lakers, the Lakers felt betrayed.
"The Clippers have been better."
– Kawhi when asked about leading the Clippers out of the shadow of the Lakers pic.twitter.com/JyYCez73Dy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 24, 2019
Leonard held talks with his former team, the Toronto Raptors, and also with both Los Angeles franchises before coming to a decision. The Lakers waited for Kawhi to join as they were the biggest favorites to secure his signature, but to the surprise of many, Leonard chose the Clippers after persuading them to get Paul George.
George’s arrival to the Clippers played a massive part in Kawhi’s decision, who was on the brink of joining the Lakers before being offered a deal by the Clippers. The Lakers missed an opportunity to sign such stars like Kemba Walker and D’Angelo Russell while they waited on Kawhi’s decision. They did sign DeMarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley, and Danny Green, but they really wanted Kawhi to join them. The NBA Finals MVP doesn’t think he should feel like a traitor for it.
“If they didn’t want to wait for me, they didn’t have to,” Leonard said. “They had a big opportunity to sign me. [The Lakers] were close, but I ended up on the other side.”
“I didn’t lead anyone on,” Leonard added. “I took my time in free agency, as I should, to make sure I made the best decision for myself and my family. I feel like some of the media coverage over it made it feel that way, with people saying I’m signing with Toronto 99 percent or I’m going to the Lakers 99 percent. I don’t ever want to have that bad karma come back on me trying to make the Lakers miss out on players they should have gotten or vice-versa with the Raptors.”
Yahoo Sports Exclusive: One-on-one with @LAClippers star Kawhi Leonard on Magic Johnson divulging their chat, how he felt about his plane being tracked in Toronto, on narrative he played the Lakers, Raptors and more. https://t.co/V1e6tw52DR pic.twitter.com/jB157tnEzq
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 25, 2019
