ESPN's Stephen A. Smith says he has heard from people around the NBA that Kawhi Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson, was asking potential suitors in free agency for “houses, planes, sponsorship, guaranteed sponsorship money” as perks.
Leonard signed a three-year, $103.14 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Both the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers have privately complained about how Leonard handled his free agency:
“This is me putting on my reporter’s hat here,” Smith said on ESPN's “First Take” on Monday. “People in NBA circles are talking about this right now. Allegedly, the uncle, Uncle Dennis, was asking for a lot of stuff from the other teams. Houses, planes, sponsorship, guaranteed sponsorship money, just as an example. They’re throwing this stuff out there.
“I have no idea whether this is true or not. I’m not trying to cast any aspersions on Uncle Dennis. But people in NBA circles are talking about this as we speak.”
The Clippers are thoroughly enjoying seeing all this noise being talked about, while the Lakers and Raptors are still fuming. The Lakers felt like they got “played” by Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors, meanwhile, weren't fans of the “unreasonable” requests Leonard's uncle was making.
In the end, Leonard and the Clippers each got want they wanted. Leonard is going back home and was able to get another superstar by his side in Paul George. The Clippers, meanwhile, got two superstars and are now title contenders for the first time in franchise history.
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