Kawhi Leonard’s 2019 free agency saga gets more unbelievable with every detail that comes out. According to The Athletic, the superstar didn’t just want a max contract from the Lakers: he reportedly asked for unlimited private plane access, a house, guaranteed endorsement money, and even a slice of team ownership, similar to what Magic Johnson once received.
“Leonard didn’t just want a max deal,” wrote Dan Woike of The Athletic. “He wanted unlimited access to a private plane, a house, and guaranteed off-court earnings from endorsements. He also wanted a slice of the team itself, just like the Lakers had given Magic Johnson 25 years earlier after HIV forced him into early retirement.”
The key figure in these illegal requests is Kawhi Leonard’s uncle Dennis Robertson, who has also served as his business manager since the start of his career. Robertson has a history of playing hardball in negotiations, and the Lakers were left feeling amused at his audacity.
“The Lakers repeatedly told Robertson that his requests were against the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement,” wrote Woike. “Outside of the negotiations, team sources said, the Lakers laughed at Robertson’s audacity. And to Robertson himself, team president Jeanie Buss underscored the outrageousness of the requests by saying he should attempt to get other teams to agree to his terms in writing.”
In 2019, Leonard was at the height of his career, fresh off a championship run with the Toronto Raptors. His performance that postseason put him in the conversation for the best player in the world, and he wanted to be treated like it.
When his contract expired that summer, Leonard’s camp sought outrageous demands on his behalf from several different teams. He wanted all the perks one could imagine, and even asked the Raptors for a stake in the Maple Leafs. At the same time, he was trying to squeeze out secret endorsement deals with the Lakers despite being turned down.
Ultimately, Kawhi ended up with the Clippers, and it’s not hard to imagine why. As the NBA’s richest owner, Ballmer is more able than anyone else to concede on Leonard’s demands, and it could be a reason for pouring more than $100 million into the tree-planting company, Aspiration.
Growing evidence suggests that Ballmer may have used the business as a front to pay Leonard off the books, circumventing the salary cap to give Kawhi more than his NBA contract allows. Whether guilty or not, it paints Leonard as someone who is never satisfied and always seeking more, even if it hurts the integrity of the game. Knowing that he tried to get the Lakers to commit similar acts says that his loyalty is bought, not earned.
As the NBA investigates the Clippers scandal, Kawhi’s relationship with his uncle Dennis will remain a topic of conversation. Despite his reputation across the NBA, Kawhi continues to trust in Robertson to speak on his behalf, and that’s unlikely to change at this point after so many years working together.
In the end, Kawhi Leonard’s 2019 free agency saga serves as a reminder of how far some stars are willing to push the limits. While he ultimately chose the Clippers, his sky-high demands left a trail of skepticism and may have set the stage for the scandals surrounding him today. Whether the NBA finds hard evidence or not, the perception of Kawhi as a player who always wants more will linger, and it could define how his legacy is remembered.
