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Kawhi Leonard's awaited free agency announcement shook the NBA after five days of an excruciating wait to hear his ultimate decision. His choice to join the L.A. Clippers on a four-year, $142 million max deal was soon followed by news that the Clippers would acquire his next partner in crime — trading for Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Yet this mind-blowing arrangement was only the first stage of an ultimate revenge that had been three summers in the making, as Leonard and George collectively crushed the Los Angeles Lakers' hopes and gave them a much-needed reality check, now rivaling their splashy summer signing of Anthony Davis with a one-two punch of their own.
A tale of three summers
This blockbuster move is one that originated in 2017, when an unhappy Paul George first became available after informing the Indiana Pacers he had no intention of re-signing with them. While many front offices had interest in trading for the three-and-D star, George's camp quickly narrowed his focus down to one team — the Lakers — telling any other suitors that he'd be nothing more than a one-year rental if he was traded elsewhere.
The Thunder didn't listen and swiftly pulled the rug from underneath the Houston Rockets, who were the frontrunners primed to acquire him. The Lakers discussed trading for the 6-foot-9 wing, but ultimately felt confident he'd be determined to seek out his hometown in the summer, and pulled away from the race just as other teams stepped up their packages.
The purple-and-gold opted to take its chances the next summer with a free agent pitch. That meeting would never happen, as one year later George would painlessly re-sign with the Thunder on a four-year, $137 million deal.
That same summer of 2018, the Lakers had the chance to trade for another top-10 talent in Kawhi Leonard, who was coming off a nightmare season with the San Antonio Spurs and determined to return to his hometown of L.A.
The Lakers envisioned a potential partnership between Leonard and their newly-signed star LeBron James as a real possibility. The Lakers once again debated giving up part of their young core to acquire a player they could “easily” get in free agency, counting with the allure of then-president Magic Johnson and the 16 NBA trophies they often have in full display.
Yet Leonard would be snatched away by the Toronto Raptors, who were willing to trade their longtime franchise cog DeMar DeRozan to acquire him — with no assurance The Klaw would re-sign with them in the offseason.
Fast forward to July 5, at 10:53 p.m. pacific time and Leonard would announce his commitment to the Clippers, seconds later followed by George's imminent trade, as both players now bound to haunt the Lakers at least four times each season, along with the potential to meet in the Western Conference playoffs.
This was yet another case of the Lakers' arrogance, basing their free agent pitches around their well-storied success in the league without making active moves to make themselves a desired destination to some of the most notable stars in the game. The Lakers had the same logistical advantages as the Clippers did in terms of location, but the latter made it a point to recruit Leonard all season long and that paid off in grand dividends.
How the Clippers pulled off the heist of a decade
The Clippers were long considered the main threat to pry Leonard away throughout this past season, and they sneaked their way into Leonard's head (and heart) from early on. They sent scouts and front office personnel to Raptors road games — so repeatedly, in fact, that the league had to warn them to stop showing up to these games unwarranted to avoid a tampering charge.
They sought out a way to attempt to buy back the rights to Kawhi's notable hand logo, one he had as part of his partnership with Jordan Brand, but was now kept under the copyrights the Nike subsidiary after he opted to switch to New Balance as his sneaker outfitter.
In terms of the free agent pitch, the Clippers could sell Leonard on a well-constructed franchise with proven management, a cemented coach in Doc Rivers, and a team that had managed to overachieve the last two seasons despite trading away their best player in back-to-back years (Blake Griffin in 2018, Tobias Harris in 2019).
L.A. could offer Leonard virtually everything the Raptors could offer him, plus a long-term vision. While the Raptors could keep the core of Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka intact going into the 2019-20 season, it would be a tall task to re-sign all three players on expiring contracts, considering they will all be over the age of 30 by the time the 2019-20 season starts.
Meanwhile the Clippers had a steady core, with sixth man extraordinaire Lou Williams on board until 2021 and Pat Beverley freshly inked to a three-year deal in the offseason. The Clips paired the comforts of home with a well-stabilized vision for the future — a simple notion that resulted in the heist of the decade once they showed Leonard the ultimate commitment by mortgaging their future and putting it all on the line by sending out five draft picks and their rookie point guard to acquire his running mate in George.
That commitment spoke volumes. How do I know this? Let's take a look back at George and Leonard's words and actions.
George told ESPN's Marc J. Spears that he would have joined the Lakers in the offseason, but “the Lakers didn't grab me” — which speaks to how a star views the level of urgency with which a franchise operates.
The same could be said for Leonard, who reportedly asked former Lakers president Magic Johnson if he tried to trade for him initially in the summer of 2018. Johnson responded by saying that Gregg Popovich; Leonard's former coach and the team president, asked for several first-round picks in exchange, saying the Lakers couldn't do that at that point.
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You know who was willing to trade a bunch of picks to get him? The Clippers — who dealt five future selections to seal the deal for George and earn his commitment.
It was that heart-burning desire that convinced Leonard that he should come home, trumping anything the Raptors or the Lakers could sell him on.
Not all heroes wear capes: The tale of Jerry West
There's never been an unsung hero as prominent as team advisor Jerry West, who has played a large part in this revamped version of the L.A. Clippers.
“The Logo” — once known for his Hall-of-Fame-worthy achievements on the court, has been a giant during his career as a front office executive. While West was a one-time NBA champion as a player (1972), one could argue his long stint as an executive has been even more formidable, winning six titles with the Lakers and two with the Golden State Warriors.
West has silently solidified himself as one of the greatest front office submariners of all sports, now fibered in landing some of the biggest names in NBA history. The 81-year-old signed Shaquille O'Neal to the Lakers, Kevin Durant to the Warriors, and now Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers —all in their prime, while trading for two of the most symbolic superstars of their respective eras in Kobe Bryant and now Paul George.
The West Virginia native also won the Executive of the Year award with two different franchises — the Lakers in 1995 and the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007, the same year in which he retired as an executive.
Now West operates as an advisor, largely behind the scenes, but equally as influential — judging talent by character and potential in ways no other mind in the NBA has done so seamlessly and accurately.
If there are someone's handprints in this double-trouble acquisition, it is West's — who by now has a longstanding history of swinging a stiff punch, and often landing it where it hurts the most.
. . .
It is this way that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both exacted their revenge on an arrogant franchise that underestimated their value as potential talismans to the team. The Lakers, despite making the splashiest acquisition for two seasons in a row, inking LeBron James to a long-term deal in 2018 and trading for Anthony Davis weeks ago — did miss out on the opportunity to add both of these two-way superstars and won't go into the regular season as the favorites in the West for all their troubles.
The purple and gold had a quick knee-jerk reaction following Leonard's announcement, quickly drowning their cap space by inking sharpshooters Danny Green (two years, $30 million), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (two years, $16 million), and center JaVale McGee (two years, $8.2 million) — still with plenty of roster spots to fill.
The Clippers on the other hand, have turned around their roster into a winner, only a couple of summers from the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets and a year-and-a-half since walking back a five-year, $173 million commitment to Blake Griffin and changing course, now with two supergiants that can make opponents pay at both ends of the court.
It seems revenge is always a dish best served cold.
