Los Angeles Clippers: Kawhi Leonard decision — winners and losers
By Jamaal Artis
It is official! Kawhi Leonard is coming to Los Angeles. However, it is not with the team everyone expected and is instead with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard finally made his free-agent decision, dropping a mega-watt ton bomb on the NBA landscape by agreeing to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, leaving the Toronto Raptors and spurning the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Clippers were able to make the move by sending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari along with an asset package that included five first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for all-star Paul George.
With Leonard and George, the Clippers thrust themselves into the wide-open NBA title hunt. Like all things in this instant gratification world we live in, despite the NBA season not starting for three months, we must declare winners and losers.
Winner — Kawhi Leonard
Leonard wanted to play with a superstar and he got his wish. For the first time in his NBA career, Leonard got to dictate his terms when it came to what team to play for and now he gets to come home while pairing with George.
Kawhi Leonard has been recruiting Paul George to find a way to get to the Clippers and LA pulled it off tonight: George goes to the Clippers with Leonard, and together they walk into Staples Center to go head-to-head with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
There is a caveat, nothing is guaranteed in the NBA these days so Leonard will have the pressure of dragging another team to a title that has none. For now, though, he is the King of the NBA.
Winner — Jerry West
West is the greatest executive to ever grace the halls of the NBA. If anyone else tells you otherwise then slap them. He has now gone from the two separate Lakers dynasties, legitimizing the Memphis Grizzlies, helping the Warriors to titles and now made the Clippers the favorites to win the 2020 NBA title.
He’s the greatest, end of the story.
Winners — Doc Rivers and Frank Vogel (Yes Frank Vogel!!!)
Doc Rivers dragged a young Los Angeles Clippers team to an eight seed and a first-round playoff loss. Frank Vogel was dumped by the Orlando Magic and out of a job. Now both of them will be across the sidelines from each other coaching four of the top 10 players in the league.
Both coaches will have tremendous pressure to perform but they definitely have to be happy about where they are at today.
Losers — Jeannie Buss and Rob Pelinka
Unless the Lakers win a title in the next two years, the narrative that the Lakers front office is dysfunctional won’t go away. The noise only gets louder now as one of the best players in the NBA chose another team over Lakers when they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
If the Lakers bow out early in the playoffs or worst case scenario lose out on the playoffs again, then this falls at the feet of the heads of the organization.
Loser — Russell Westbrook
The UCLA alumn has to be thinking, “what the heck happened.” Just a year after convincing George to stay in Oklahoma City, he is now once again the lone star on a team going nowhere.
The most galling part may be that George asked to be traded, preferring to be traded than staying with Westbrook in Oklahoma City.
A few hours after the George trade news, it was reported that Oklahoma City tried to package Westbrook and George to the Toronto Raptors. Westbrook cannot be a happy person this morning.
Losers — Raptors Fans
Geez, you get an NBA title, a championship parade and then poof, it’s gone in the blink of an eye.
Next. Clippers next focus after landing Kawhi and PG. dark
I’m sure they enjoyed the journey and the memories, but I’m sure becoming irrelevant again will hurt. This blow shows just how fleeting things are in today’s NBA.