The Los Angeles Lakers were considered favorites in the race to sign Kawhi Leonard, but the two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player eventually signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
According to Cris Carter of First Things First, the Lakers' chances of landing Leonard was affected by the leaked information from the conversation between Magic Johnson and Leonard's camp.
All the information that leaked from Magic’s conversations with Kawhi team didn’t help the Lakers case.
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) July 6, 2019
It can be remembered that Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times said on Spectrum Sportsnet that Kawhi and his Uncle Dennis talked to Johnson several times. Leonard's camp reportedly asked Johnson if he tried to trade for him when he was still in San Antonio.
Leonard's camp also questioned Magic about what really happened between him and Rob Pelinka during their time together in Los Angeles. Johnson reportedly confirmed that Pelinka talked behind his back, but that is already a thing of the past and that he is focused on helping the Lakers build a championship-caliber team.
The Lakers liked their chances of acquiring Leonard, but they eventually lost out to their city rival. According Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times, the Purple and Gold are upset with Leonard, but they are more shocked of the trade that sent Paul George to the Clippers — which turned out to be the deciding factor for Kawhi.
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