While LeBron James recruited Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Lakers, he wasn't in the meeting with owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Leonard seriously considered joining the Lakers, but he decided to sign with the Los Angles Clippers instead and was able to convince Paul George to request a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Clippers.

The battle of Los Angeles is going to be epic in 2019-20. The Lakers, led by James and Anthony Davis, will try to maintain the big brother status in LA over the Clippers, who are now title contenders with Leonard and George in the fold.

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It was always a long shot for the Lakers to get Leonard. The two-time Finals MVP just won the championship with the Toronto Raptors. It was not in his M.O. to create a superteam with James and Davis.

But while Leonard didn't want to form that superteam, he knew he needed more help on the Clippers, which is why he recruited George to the Clippers to create his own championship contender. The games between the Lakers and Clippers at Staples Center are going to be incredible in 2019-20 and beyond.