Before the Los Angeles Clippers' blockbuster trade for Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George, conventional wisdom began to form that the team was out of the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes.
While Leonard ultimately signed with L.A., he admits he was close to either returning to the Toronto Raptors - or perhaps choosing the Los Angeles Lakers - if the Clippers had been unable to swing the George deal.
"I was very close," Leonard told ESPN's Rachel Nichols when asked about his other free-agent options. "Real close. But when (the Clippers) presented the opportunity of playing with Paul, it was easy, it was a yes. I said let's get it going."
Two days before committing to L.A., Leonard sparked a media storm in Toronto - which included him being followed by news helicopters - by returning to the city, which "raised the Clippers' concerns," according to The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jovan Buha.
Amick and Buha also suggested the Lakers may have played themselves out of contention for Leonard's services when former team president Magic Johnson began talking to the media about courting the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
By negotiating an opt-out after two seasons of his three-year contract with the Clippers, Leonard lined himself up with George's player option in 2021, meaning both can hit unrestricted free agency at the same time. Staying in Toronto on more than a one-year deal would've put Leonard past the expiry dates on the contracts of the Raptors' aging core players, including Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Marc Gasol.
