Kawhi Leonard's free agency process was filled with all of the twists and turns of a great spy thriller.
He's definitely signing with the Lakers. No, he's re-signing with the Raptors on a two-year deal. Wait, there's a helicopter following him. Oh, Tom Cruise just ripped his mask off! It's the Clippers!
MORE: Three takeaways from Leonard, George press conference
All of that drama made for an exciting first week of July, but none of it came from Leonard or those close to him. The simple truth: Leonard seriously considered all three of the teams on his list, and if the Clippers hadn't pulled off a blockbuster trade for Paul George, he could have easily found himself holding a much different press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
"I was very close [to signing with the Lakers or Raptors]. Real close," Leonard told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "When [the Clippers] presented the opportunity of playing with Paul, it was easy."
That statement alone should put to rest any claims that the Lakers "got played" by Leonard. Like the two-time NBA Finals MVP said, the Lakers didn't have to wait for Leonard while other free agents reached agreements with teams.
"I didn’t lead anyone on," Leonard told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. "I took my time in free agency, as I should, to make sure I made the best decision for myself and my family. I feel like some of the media coverage over it made it feel that way, with people saying I’m signing with Toronto 99 percent or I’m going to the Lakers 99 percent.
"I don’t ever want to have that bad karma come back on me trying to make the Lakers miss out on players they should have gotten or vice-versa with the Raptors."
Fun Guy didn’t lead anyone on 💯
— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) July 25, 2019
(via @ChrisBHaynes / @YahooSports) pic.twitter.com/ax5YckWji6
As for the Raptors, they traded for Leonard last summer knowing there was a very real possibility he would leave for Los Angeles in 2019. Toronto did everything right, managing Leonard's health perfectly and building a championship roster around him. It will sting to see him in a Clippers uniform — no one is saying the Raptors should be happy about this — but banners hang forever.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri believes Leonard was forthright during free agency, though there are some questions about whether he used his former team as leverage.
From The Athletic's Eric Koreen:
As free agency moved past its initial stage, the Raptors felt increasingly that they had less and less of a chance to retain Leonard. The asks from Leonard and his team, from the team’s perspective, got more and more unrealistic. It had to be quite a comedown from the championship celebration, the parade and Ujiri’s confident, swaggering press conference.
Ujiri and the rest of Toronto's front office may have felt Leonard's requests were excessive. That's part of negotiations, though. When discussing a new job, you never get what you don't ask for. There is also a huge gap between leverage and deception.
The wait for Leonard felt longer than usual because he didn't have a deal finished the minute free agency opened. He took a few days and weighed his options. The George trade tipped the scales in the Clippers' favor. Maybe the most basic explanation is the right one.
The Lakers will still be contenders without Leonard. The Raptors will remain competitive this season before a likely rebuild. The NBA world keeps spinning.
Fans of both teams can shower Leonard with boos if they want. Just don't say the "Fun Guy" told any lies.
