The Raptors were confident. The Lakers were reportedly confident.
But in the end, the Clippers’ year-long pursuit of Kawhi Leonard paid off.
Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 6, 2019
This was put up quickly on the Kawhi Leonard official fan Instagram page, which is tied to Leonard.
The Clippers seemed to be a longshot in recent days because it was reported Leonard wanted to play with another superstar.
Enter the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are sending Paul George to the Clippers for a massive package of players and picks, something broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Oklahoma City is trading All-Star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-setting collection of draft choices, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Sources: Oklahoma City is getting a massive package of future picks, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Galllinari, to deliver Kawhi Leonard who he wanted to partner with: Paul George. https://t.co/4bGpMNat8K
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Sources: Oklahoma City is getting a massive package of future picks, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Galllinari, to deliver Kawhi Leonard who he wanted to partner with: Paul George. https://t.co/4bGpMNat8K
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
After Leonard pushed George to find a way to get to the Clippers, Paul George approached the team and requested a trade, league sources tell ESPN. OKC was left with no choice and made the best out of a difficult situation, per sources.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
The Clippers become a top title contender in what looks like a wide-open league. The offseason has dispersed talent, leaving several teams in the championship chase.
As he showed with Toronto, Leonard can singlehandedly lift a good team to greatness. The Clippers established credibility with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Now, they look poised to take the next step with the powerhouses that are Leonard and George, with depth that includes Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell and others.
The Raptors and Lakers will be left with harder choices.
By leaving the Raptors, Leonard makes history. Superstars had never left the defending champion for another team. But Toronto should, and likely will, just be thankful he delivered a title in his lone year there.
The Raptors now appear extremely unlikely to repeat. But in the championship afterglow, they could go multiple directions. They could remain a solid playoff team with Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol. Or Toronto could trade those vets and start a rebuild around Siakam.
The Lakers must now find role players around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. There’s a lot of pressure on general manager Rob Pelinka after last year’s front office – led by Magic Johnson with Pelinka as top lieutenant – flopped in its role-player signings. The task could easily make the difference between the Lakers winning and losing a title.
Because a lot of the top role players the Lakers had targeted — J.J. Redick, Trevor Ariza, etc. — are off the board, having signed with other teams. There are players such as Danny Green and Marcus Morris, Rajon Rondo may return, but the pickings are much slimmer than they were five days ago.
As Los Angeles’ most popular team, the Lakers will remain in the spotlight. But the Clippers showed their credibility by completing their all-in push for Leonard with a commitment.
Now, they’ll look to get the championship payoff.
