Kawhi Leonard and LA Clippers just can’t seem to not be in the headlines despite the failed trade deal. The NBA has, for the past decade, a history of having ‘super-teams’ that would storm to the championship.
LeBron James started the concept of ‘Super Teams’ in NBA
LeBron James started the trend, moving from his hometown Cleveland to join Miami Heat, where he won two championships in four NBA seasons. Next was Kevin Durant, moving to the Golden State Warriors, winning three of the last five NBA Finals. Both these moves drew great ire from NBA fans, but thankfully that era has now passed.
LA has just become the king of basketball with the Lakers adding AD, Cousins, Danny Green, JaVale McGee, and KCP and Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joining the Clippers. It’s going to be awesome to watch NBA basketball in LA this season!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 6, 2019
But that time of super-teams seems to have come to an end with Durant leaving for the Brooklyn Nets. At least, that is the consensus- that there is parity amongst the NBA teams now. But this newfound parity was built on very shaky foundations- it all depended on one man, Kawhi Leonard.
Kawhi Leonard did the right thing by not joining LA Lakers
Kawhi Leonard has an enormous power to influence the whole league, being a free agent of such incredible quality. He is, arguably, the best player in the world. And that tag was earned through some remarkable performances in the past year. He, almost singlehandedly, carried the Raptors through the playoffs. And then, of course, he won the NBA Finals MVP award as well.
Paul George on Kawhi Leonard in 2017: “He’s somebody I respect in this game because he plays both sides” 🤚🏽 pic.twitter.com/RRPfLbZldc
— SLAM Rewind (@SLAMRewind) July 6, 2019
Kawhi Leonard has been courted the whole summer by the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Raptors themselves. But it seems that he is now heading toward the LA Clippers, in a decision that will send shockwaves through the NBA.
Had he moved to the Lakers, a trio of Leonard, Davis and King James would immediately have made the Lakers a strong favorite for the upcoming NBA championships. But he has chosen to move to the Clippers, which means that the league is indeed wide open for at least the 2019-20 MBA season.
