As a precarious situation unfolds for Steve Ballmer and the LA Clippers, there’s a sense of relief among Lakers fans that they managed to avoid signing two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard. In a report from Lakers Daily, one NBA executive says the Lakers avoided disaster when they failed to sign him in 2019.
“The Lakers wanted Kawhi badly,” said the NBA exec. “Boy, they dodged a massive bullet by not landing him. You think Rich [Paul] and LeBron are hard to deal with? Uncle Dennis (Dennis Robertson) is even worse. He thinks Kawhi is the second coming of Jesus. The Lakers dodged a massive bullet by not getting Kawhi.”
The Lakers tried really hard to lure Leonard after he won his championship with the Raptors, but there is a sense that it was actually the best thing for them amid the news of his ongoing contract scandal.
“The guy barely plays, doesn’t market the team he’s on, and now he’s in the news for the wrong reasons for the second time since signing with the Clippers,” the executive added. “This has been a huge headache for Ballmer and Co.”
Kawhi isn’t your typical NBA superstar. While he’s a beast on the court with averages of 20.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for his career, he doesn’t act like the face of a franchise. Besides being quiet and reserved, he doesn’t have any kind of media presence and rarely does anything to promote himself or market the team.
That’s not to mention his history of injuries and load management, which have severely restricted his availability. Over the past eight seasons, Leonard has only surpassed 60 games played once. For the Clippers, the 2023-24 campaign was the only season in which he played above 57 games.
What’s worse is the current situation unfolding about secret, under-the-table payments from Steve Ballmer. The Clippers are now facing scrutiny for potentially using a fraudulent business (called Aspiration) as a front to pay Leonard an extra $28 million without counting against the cap.
If found guilty, the Clippers will be penalized severely, but Kawhi actually has a history of asking for perks that go against the CBA. Influenced by his uncle Dennis, who also orchestrated his messy exit from the Spurs, Leonard’s arrangement with Ballmer could result in his NBA contract being voided, and his reputation may never be the same. Back in 2019, Dennis tried to get the Lakers to agree to these illegal payouts, but Jeanie Buss shut it down, and it explains why he chose the Clippers instead.
Had the Lakers acquired Leonard, it could be them who are facing these problems, and they might never have obtained Luka Doncic or kept LeBron James’ loyalty. At the very least, they’d be scrambling to deal with this scandal and avoid a potential punishment of losing multiple draft picks.
In the end, the Lakers are in a much better spot than the Clippers are right now. With LeBron James and Luka Doncic, they have two superstars who are frequently available to play, bring excitement and attention to the franchise, and manage to avoid any controversies. The same cannot be said for the Clippers, who may be starting to regret the day they signed Kawhi Leonard.
