The biggest domino of the NBA free agency has finally fallen.
NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is reportedly headed to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Southern California native joins the team after spending last year with the Toronto Raptors and leading them to their first NBA championship. The Clippers also reportedly traded for Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal was announced by ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski at 1:54 a.m. on Saturday.
Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard has informed runners-up teams of his plans: He's signing with the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
The Raptors could have offered Leonard a five-year contract for $190 million, while the most the Clippers could offer was a four-year deal for $142 million, which Leonard agreed to. Signing with the Clippers also meant that Leonard wasn’t interested in forming another superteam with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the end, Kawhi Leonard didn't want to construct a Super Team with the Lakers. He wanted a co-star across the Staples corridor with the Clippers, and made it clear to Steve Ballmer and Lawrence Frank: Get PG, and I'm coming.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Throughout the season and well into the playoffs, the question that everyone had was simple. What does Kawhi want? The question may have been simple, but coming up with the answer was deceptively tricky.
It turns out; the answer was right there in front of us the whole time. Leonard liked to keep things simple. He often talked about playing for family and how all of this was just for fun. He wanted a stable basketball environment — no drama for this guy.
The post SOURCE SPORTS: Kawhi Leonard Signs With Clippers, Also Add Paul George Via Trade appeared first on The Source.