Los Angeles Clippers: Do they have a legit chance at landing Kawhi Leonard?

Despite trying hard to do so, the Los Angeles Clippers were unable to acquire Kawhi Leonard via trade this summer. Do they have a chance at signing him as a free agent next year, and how could they convince Leonard to come to L.A.?

According to multiple reports, Kawhi Leonard wanted to be traded to La La Land and play for either the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers. In June he met with Gregg Popovich, and he told his former coach that he no longer wanted to be a member of the San Antonio Spurs.

Also, he let the Spurs organization know that he preferred to be traded to L.A., and that he would make sure all other teams trying to acquire him knew he planned to sign with a Los Angeles-based team in the summer of 2019.

The Clippers had an offer on the table for San Antonio to consider, but it was not what the Spurs were looking for. Supposedly, the Clips were offering a package deal centered around Tobias Harris and the 12th or 13th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Spurs were clearly looking to receive an established star in a trade for Leonard, which led to them accepting an offer from the Toronto Raptors that landed them DeMar DeRozan.

They failed to acquire him in a trade, but the Clippers still have a great chance at signing Kawhi as a free agent next summer. He reportedly is still expected to leave Toronto at the end of next year and sign with either the Lakers or Clips. The Raptors will be a very solid team next season and will likely compete for a spot in the NBA Finals, but as of right now it seems likely that this will not be enough to convince Leonard to stay.

Out of the two L.A. teams, the Lakers are the clear frontrunner to land Kawhi. They have the best player in the world in LeBron James to go along with arguably the most illustrious history of any NBA franchise. With Leonard on the team, it seems as if the Lakers would be title contenders for years to come. Despite certainly being a desirable option for Kawhi, the Clippers would be a better fit for the superstar.

The Los Angeles Clippers can allow Kawhi Leonard to maximize his talents as a basketball player. He would be the definitive leader of the group on both sides of the ball, and playing for a player’s coach like Doc Rivers would be a refreshing new start for the young man.

Also, if he decides to play for the Clippers then he will not be in the spotlight. As a Laker, everything positive or negative that one does is magnified and not everyone can handle it. Leonard is a very quiet and reserved person, so it seems likely that he would not be a fan of all the attention that comes with being a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. His personality and skill-set fits much better with the Clippers’ culture and roster.

The Los Angeles Clippers are by far the biggest threat to the Lakers and Raptors when it comes to signing Kawhi. The weather, lack of pressure and still being the franchise star allows for them to make a great pitch to Leonard next summer.