Kawhi Leonard, while staying in the very home of what was soon to be his former team’s global ambassador, plotted his path to the Los Angeles Clippers during last summer’s free agency extravaganza.
According to details from a lengthy profile on Clippers forward Paul George from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Leonard and George met twice in the summer in the California home of Toronto rapper Drake – who is the Raptors’ global ambassador – while Leonard was mulling over his free agency options.
As Shelburne reported, this all started shortly after the Raptors had won the championship with Leonard at the helm. George called up Leonard to offer him congratulations and that’s when the two started talking.
“It was congratulating him on winning,” George told ESPN. “That’s how it started… then it took on a life of its own.”
What followed were “countless text messages and phone calls,” as well as two in-person meetings at Drake’s estate in Hidden Hills, Calif., which Drake allowed Leonard to use for his free-agency meetings. Then, on July 1, Leonard and George decided to take action on a plan to join forces.
After that, of course, came the stunning announcement from Leonard that he would consider signing with the Clippers if they could add another all-star talent to play with him; and then the subsequent stunning trade that sent George — at the time a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder — to L.A.
It’s cold comfort for Raptors fans, but Shelburne also reported that Thunder general manager Sam Presti was in conversation with the Raptors to see if they could swing a deal to send George to Toronto, which could’ve swayed Leonard to stay. L.A., however, was where both Leonard and George wanted to be, so that’s where the deal was made.
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