The Los Angeles Clippers shocked the NBA community by trading for Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George and signing NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, immediately elevating their status in the Western Conference with just one bold stroke.

But after the Clippers began the regular season as the presumptive favorites to land Leonard in the summer, they entered July as potential underdogs. Reports surfaced that Leonard had hoped to team up with Kevin Durant in L.A., but Durant elected to join Kyrie Irving in signing with the Brooklyn Nets.

Meanwhile, Leonard's scintillating championship run with the Raptors in addition to the option of signing a short-term deal made a return to Toronto appear more and more likely, especially given the fact that Leonard would be eligible for a supermax contract if he elected to sign a short-term contract with the Raptors.

The Raptors quickly understood that they needed to make a play for another superstar in order to retain Leonard, and members of the Clippers' front office feared that Thunder general manager Sam Presti would send George to Toronto, according to ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski:

Clippers leadership — Ballmer, Frank and GM Michael Winger — harbored fears that Presti was close to striking a deal with Toronto that would've delivered George to Leonard and the NBA champions, sources said.

However, the Raptors simply did not have the kind of assets necessary to complete a deal. According to Wojnarowski, even the inclusion of Pascal Siakam was not enough for Presti and the Thunder:

The Clippers had to give up a massive haul, but they might just be the favorite to win the 2019-20 NBA championship.