After leading the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA Championship, Kawhi Leonard was the hottest free agent on the market.
Evidently, it meant that Kawhi Leonard was constantly linked to signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2019.
Considering Leonard’s previous interest in the Lakers, joining forces with someone of LeBron James‘ caliber in LA made sense.
However, as fans know, Leonard ditched the Lakers for their noisy neighbors, the LA Clippers. But who was to blame?
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When healthy, Leonard is one of the most dominant players in the NBA. But the Klaw hardly indulges in any shenanigans off the court as he lets his game do most of the talking.
Now, joining a team like the Lakers, a prestigious NBA franchise that is in the heart of Hollywood, is bound to bring more eyes on Leonard.
But what truly changed Leonard’s mind was the actions of the then-president of the Lakers, Magic Johnson.
“I truly believe that when Magic started telling the media about the meeting he had with Kawhi and Dennis, that sealed the fate of the Lakers,” an anonymous source told The Athletic in 2019.
They added: “I think that right there was when Dennis and Kawhi decided we can’t trust the Lakers as an organization. And that was it. I think that was it for them.”
While Magic successfully lured James to the Lakers in 2018, he couldn’t do the same with Kawhi. Johnson also abruptly resigned as the Lakers’ president in 2019.
One might wonder if the failure to sign Leonard to the team played a role in Magic’s exit.
Failing to land Kawhi Leonard turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the LA Lakers
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Despite losing out on Leonard, the Lakers still had a phenomenal 2019-20 NBA season. For starters, not signing Kawhi allowed the Lakers to trade for Anthony Davis.
The AD-LBJ duo instantly worked as a team and ended the team’s decade-long NBA Championship drought.
On the other hand, Leonard recruited Paul George to the Clippers. The decision was questionable, and Stephen A. Smith once called out Kawhi for it.
After all, the Clippers parted ways with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the process. Yes, the same Shai who just led the OKC Thunder to their first-ever NBA title while also taking home the MVP award.