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Kevin Durant's mind was made up: He would team up with Kyrie Irving to join the Brooklyn Nets in free agency. Before his decision could officially be made public, though, the two-time Finals MVP apparently received a phone call that had him briefly reconsidering his plans.
According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Kawhi Leonard called Durant during the lead up to free agency in hopes of convincing him to sign with the LA Clippers, a gesture that “made a real impression.”
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Then Durant got a call from Kawhi Leonard, asking if he'd consider teaming up with him and signing with the LA Clippers. They'd be a great complement to each other, Leonard told Durant. He'd always admired him and had tremendous respect for him as a competitor.
Durant was flattered and more than a little stunned, according to sources close to the situation. He didn't know Leonard that well, so getting a recruiting call like that made a real impression.
The Clippers made their offseason hopes clear in February when they traded Tobias Harris, clearing the way for them to create double-max cap space – enough to bring Leonard home and another superstar, preferably Durant, along with him. In the end, after Durant and Irving announced they were signing with Brooklyn just moments into free agency, Los Angeles was forced to “settle” for Paul George, trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danillo Gallinari, and an unprecedented haul of first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant and Leonard would have been a perfect pairing once the former recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon. But the Clippers might be championship favorites right now, and for the foreseeable future, with George next to Leonard instead.
