After winning a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, Kawhi Leonard decided to jump ship to become a free agent. Naturally, he was the biggest prize in the market at that point in time, with more than a few teams in the league wanting a piece of the Kawhi action. Leonard eventually picked the Los Angeles Clippers to team up with Paul George. However, it's also known that he nearly ended up joining LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Around that time, Magic Johnson was the president of basketball operations for the Lakers. The Hall of Fame point guard was the man responsible for bringing LeBron to Hollywood. As it turns out, Magic had pretty much guaranteed to James that he was going to get Kawhi too:
“I told (LeBron), ‘I'mma build a team that's gonna win a championship. No question about it,” Johnson said. “… He bought into it. I said, ‘These are the moves I'm going to make. After I sign you, I'm gonna go after — at that time, I thought it was gonna be Kawhi because he was the next free agent the next year. Nobody knew that Anthony Davis was gonna be available for trade. So I said, ‘I'mma get you, then I'mma get Kawhi, and then we're off.'”
Apparently, the Lakers came very close to getting Kawhi Leonard. According to Magic, he has no doubt in his mind that he would have convinced Leonard to take his talents to Hollywood — if only he had the opportunity to do so:
“Oh, I would have had Kawhi,” Magic said. “When I come in and close a deal, it's done. I do my homework and my research. So when I get you in that room, I already know what you want. I'mma just lay it out to you.”
Matt Barnes: "I heard it really came down to the wire. You guys, literally, almost had Kawhi [Leonard]?"
Magic Johnson: "Oh, I would have had Kawhi [on the Lakers]… When I get you in that room, I already know what you want."
(via @shobasketball)pic.twitter.com/aV6pZJEEA0
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 6, 2023
Johnson shocked the Lakers faithful when he decided to resign from his post in April of 2019 — a few months before the free agency window opened. Magic never got the chance to close the Kawhi deal. At this point, we'll never know what would have happened if Johnson decided to stay on. Maybe he would have gotten Kawhi Leonard to the Lakers. Maybe not.
Either way, the Lakers were able to snag Anthony Davis that same summer, which resulted in a championship for them the following year. All is well that ends well, I guess.
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