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When free agency began, there were some people who expected Kawhi Leonard to ultimately sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, and the general consensus was that he would take another star player with him.
But no one anticipated that star would be Paul George, who signed a contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer before asking for a trade for the opportunity to play with Leonard earlier this month.
George is thrilled to team up with Leonard, saying as much as the introductory press conference for the two stars on Wednesday:
âIt feels like destiny. We were supposed to play together,â said George, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. âWe gonna make it happen. LA, our way.â
Leonard reportedly reached out to fellow stars like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler before George became available, and all of those players ended up signing elsewhere.
But with Durant set to miss all of next season with a torn Achilles, it seems like this Leonard-George duo was actually the best-case scenario for a Clippers franchise that is in desperate need of success.
While Los Angeles is far from the laughing stock it once was, having made the playoffs in seven of the last eight years, the Clippers are still yet to make it past the second round of the postseason.
But now, with a tandem of Leonard and George and terrific role players like Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Landry Shamet, the Clippers look like a shoo-in to make a deep playoff run next season so long as they stay healthy.
Los Angeles won 48 games and was knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors this past year.
