2019 NBA free agency: The winners and losers of Kawhi Leonard’s decision
Winner: Los Angeles Clippers
Duh. The Los Angeles Clippers just added the reigning Finals MVP, who’s coming off one of the most impressive individual playoff runs in NBA history after averaging 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game on .490/.379/.884 shooting splits en route to a championship.
Coming off an impressive season of their own that extended far past “plucky” territory, the Clippers were one of the pleasant surprises of the league last year. Not only did they win 48 games and secure a playoff spot even after trading away their best player in Tobias Harris, but they stole two memorable games from the mighty Golden State Warriors in the first round of the postseason.
Between that resilience, the team’s depth and the culture that owner Steve Ballmer and executive Jerry West are building, L.A. ultimately got its top target and then managed to swing a blockbuster trade for Paul George. It was a costly one in the draft pick department, but the Clippers now have not one, but two MVP-caliber wings who can lock opponents down and score at will. Their draft resources are depleted for the foreseeable future, and losing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stings, but no one will care if it leads to a championship.
In the end, Kawhi Leonard didn't want to construct a Super Team with the Lakers. He wanted a co-star across the Staples corridor with the Clippers, and made it clear to Steve Ballmer and Lawrence Frank: Get PG, and I'm coming.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Loser: Toronto Raptors
Also duh. The Toronto Raptors are the reigning NBA champs, but their hopes of running it back completely went out the window with Kawhi Leonard leaving and, subsequently, Danny Green following suit.
The Raptors still have Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and a bright future once they fully turn things over to the youth movement, but that team isn’t winning the East, let alone another championship — even in a wide open year. No one will ever take that championship away, and they’d still do it all over again if they knew this would be the end result, but it’s unfortunate to see the window close so quickly.
The tough part is the Raptors did everything right. Their one-year gamble for the Klaw literally paid off in a championship. They did everything they could to make Toronto feel like home both on and off the court, surrounding him with complementary talent while still making it very clear whose team it was. They were in position to repeat if he and Green stuck around. And instead, they’re losing their best player, another terrific 3-and-D wing and their title prospects, all because they’re not L.A.
The Clippers did it. The Raptors won a title. They did everything right. And it’s nobody’s fault that Kawhi left.
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) July 6, 2019