By: Nick LaPorte, 7/6/2019
The dominant NBA story since July 1st has been the question of Kawhi Leonard, and now we have an answer; the top remaining free agent on the market has signed a 4-year, $142 million contract with the LA Clippers. The news broke late Friday night, just hours before the moratorium ends and teams can officially agree to contracts and trades on July 6. The Clippers have been rumored as the favorite to land Leonard all season, and were one of the 3 teams Leonard had on his short list, which also included the Lakers and Raptors.
We wondered what was taking Kawhi so long to make a decision. Every big name free agent signed late on June 30th when free agency opened, but Kawhi opted to wait another week. The reason Leonard was waiting so long was that he had told the Clippers he wanted to play with Paul George. The star forward of the Thunder has previously been linked to LA, and notably requested a trade to the Lakers 2 summers ago. George was instead dealt to the Thunder, where he re-signed last season to play with Russell Westbrook. Now, George is headed to LA after all.
The Clippers were uncertain about Leonard’s commitment level, and knew the way to ensure Leonard would pick them was to acquire Paul George in a trade. The Clippers, according to Woj, will send a total of 5 first-round picks, 2 pick swaps, and players Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The haul George fetched is massive; it makes the Anthony Davis trade look like peanuts in comparison. Thunder GM Sam Presti has a rebuild on his hands, but the amount of picks he just acquired will make the rebuild much easier. A player of Paul George’s caliber will demand a high return, especially since he’s signed for 2 more guaranteed seasons.
George finished the season 3rd in MVP voting, breaking out as a true superstar in Oklahoma City. George’s 2018-2019 season was on par with Kevin Durant’s MVP year, to give perspective. On any list of the best players in the NBA, George has to fall inside the top 10. Leonard, the 2019 Finals MVP, is a top-5 player in the NBA. The Clippers managed to land both, and instantly make themselves a title contender. The Clippers roster still features defensive stalwarts Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell, as well as 6th man of the year Lou Williams. Coach Doc Rivers has won a championship in his career, and the Clippers have given him one of the most talented rotations in basketball in one night.
The only other team to boast two top-10 players is ironically the other team in LA; the Lakers. The Lakers were reported to be in the lead for Kawhi earlier this week, but ultimately Leonard didn’t want to form a superteam. He preferred to play close to his home in San Diego, but chose the Clippers because they traded for the star he wanted to play with in George. Leonard and George are perhaps the league’s most dynamic duo, both elite defenders and 30 PPG scorers. Both George and Leonard are capable of knocking down long range shots and can cover every position. The versatility alone makes the Clippers one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA.
Trading away that many draft picks is a risk, to be fair. In similar instances, like the Nets trading a haul nearly this big to the Celtics for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the Celtics ended up winning that trade. The picks alone are almost worth the risk, and the pick swaps are icing on the cake. If George wanted to stay in OKC, then you never make this trade. But with reports of dissent between Westbrook and George, and George’s desire to play with Kawhi, the Thunder managed to salvage themselves with an incredible war chest of assets. Still, in most cases, the team that gets the best player in the trade wins. George is good enough to justify a haul this large, but it’s still shocking.
In one night, the Clippers have managed to turn themselves into a contender. In fact, the Clippers may be the team to beat in the West. Other contenders like the Jazz, Rockets, and Nuggets all feature deep rosters with experience. But no team out West can match the talent and versatility of the Clippers. It would not shock me to see the odds for the Clippers to win it all go from 15-1 all the way down to 3-1 or lower. Kawhi proved he is a contender alone, and now paired with an All-NBA teammate the sky is the limit. The Lakers, who opted to wait out Kawhi and miss some key role players who were available, are in bad shape because of this. They managed to sign Danny Green, who fits well next to Lebron, but Kawhi was the crown jewel.
In a summer where we saw 9 of the best players in the NBA change teams, the Clippers have come out on top. The pairing of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is one that moves the needle out West. One thing is sure, the Clippers now have the chance to make it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history. And they may not stop there. This time next season, we may be talking about the Clippers’ first NBA title, on the backs of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
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