Kawhi Leonard surprised the entire NBA, players and fans alike when he announced that he was joining the Los Angeles Clippers. It was a decision that took him almost an entire week to make, but he eventually chose the team that was never seen as a frontrunner. Former NBA players and current sports analysts Charles Barkley, Mark Jackson, and Chauncey Billups reacted to the Clippers' acquisition of Leonard, with Sir Charles saying that Leonard knew where he wanted to go all along, but that he needed a running mate to make sure that he will make the most out of his stay with his new team.
“Clearly he was waiting to get another guy. He wasn’t going there unless he got another guy. I mean, you got to give Kawhi all the credit on this one. Then you give the Clippers credit for giving up as much as they did to get Paul George.”
Minutes after Leonard made his announcement, reports also came out that the Clippers have traded for Paul George in exchange for a staggering five future first round picks and two decent role players in Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
For Jackson, the greatest thing about this whole situation is the fact that Leonard and his camp kept their mouths shut. That resulted in tons of speculations that the reigning Finals MVP was either staying with the Toronto Raptors or going to the Los Angeles Clippers.
So when the announcement was made, it sent massive shockwaves to everybody.
“It’s the quiet ones that get you. So he’s quiet on his own terms. When it comes time of handling his business and securing his legacy, obviously he took the ball and ran with it. Whether it be either a meeting, whether it be having a conversation with George or what have you, he took his decision serious and realized that his legacy was tied to it.”
Leonard could've formed a ‘mega superteam' with the Lakers, who already had LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma. Instead, he chose to join their co-tenants at Staples Center to create some type of balance in Los Angeles, and Billups is happy to see that.
“I was so happy, just because I love parity and I love going into an NBA season and it’s like, ‘Man, I don’t know who is going to win it because there are so many good teams.’ I missed that. We haven’t had that in a long time, and the fact that Kawhi was able to go there and Paul George will be there and them join what already is a good team … I loved it.”
Now, everyone, except probably most of the Laker fans, are excited that the NBA has balance once again. There are roughly seven to eight good teams in the league right now and all of them have a legitimate shot at winning the championship.
But most importantly, the Lakers and the Clippers are now officially a rivalry.
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