While Toronto Raptors officials have noticed Los Angeles Clippers representatives attending most of their games, Kawhi Leonard - who the Clippers are attempting to court - was previously unaware of their presence.
The Athletic's Sam Amick described an interaction (or lack thereof) following the Raptors' victory over the Clippers at Staples Center on Dec. 11 wherein Leonard appeared to shun Clippers president Lawrence Frank en route to the team bus.
The following day in Oakland with the Raptors set to take on the Golden State Warriors, Amick asked Leonard why he didn't acknowledge Frank the night prior. Leonard said it was because he didn't recognize the president.
In fact, the 27-year-old didn't even know the Clippers were sending officials to Raptors games.
Leonard was born in Los Angeles and attended San Diego State for two years before going 15th overall in the 2011 draft. The two-time All-Star is likely to opt out of his current deal and hit free agency. The Clippers are viewed as one of the heavy favorites to sign him, as they have two max contract slots at their disposal.
Through 24 appearances with Toronto, Leonard has averaged 26.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 49.1 percent from the field. This comes after a 2017-18 campaign in which he suited up for just nine games with the San Antonio Spurs due to a right quadriceps injury.