Kawhi Leonard has responded to the claims of one person that assures he played a big role in Kawhi’s signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. After spending one season with the Toronto Raptors, the Klaw decided to take his talents to Los Angeles and team up with Paul George and the Clippers, trying to bring a title to the franchise for the first time.
According to TMZ, one man names Johnny Wilkes is suing Jerry West for $2.5 million for helping him secure Kawhi’s signing with the team. Wilkes claims he told West that the Clippers had to trade for Paul George to get a commitment from Leonard, which is exactly what they did last offseason.
Now the league has launched an investigation to find out if the Clippers did something wrong in their pursuit of Leonard. The 2x Finals MVP addressed that situation after the Clippers took on the Utah Jazz on Thursday, making it clear that he has nothing to do with that.
“That has nothing to do with me swaying my mind to go somewhere,” Leonard said, via Sports Illustrated. “I’m from LA and I grew up here my whole life and out here people try to find any way to get some money, so he probably won’t be the last. I know a lot of people out here.”
Kawhi Leonard says Johnny Wilkes, the man suing Jerry West for $2.5 Million, had nothing to do with his decision to join the Clippers
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/1sQ5hyIKzK
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 18, 2020
The team also talked about those allegations, stating that they are false and that they have no validation.
“The lawsuit filed by Johnny Wilkes is replete with inaccuracies and the allegations are baseless. The Clippers are fully cooperating with the NBA in its investigation, which is standard when these types of allegations are made. They are providing the NBA with evidence that the allegations are false.”
Statement from the Clippers: pic.twitter.com/KMelNqipIX
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) December 18, 2020
This is not good for Leonard or the team. They have stated that these accusations are false but the league wants to make sure that everything is crystal clear for everybody. The Clips are entering a season where they’ll have a lot of pressure on their shoulders and these rumors are the last thing they need right now.
