Kawhi Leonard had the entire NBA world guessing just a few weeks ago as he made his free agency decision. In the end, he went with the Los Angeles Clippers who are an up and coming team who would be able to let him carve out his own legacy while also returning to his hometown. Leonard was also considering the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were in a position to create a super team with the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis although it was clear Leonard wasn't interested in that.
With Leonard no longer an option, the Lakers moved forward with a plethora of depth signings and according to general manager and Rob Lowe impersonator Rob Pelinka, the team is feeling just fine.
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"I really haven't spent a lot of time either thinking about or characterizing that," Pelinka told ESPN about Leonard's Clippers decision. "Because once the decision was made, we had all of our chess pieces on the board to make our moves and close. And at that point you just don't look back. I think of course when superstars are available, you put your best foot forward."
Pelinka explained that he received input from LeBron and AD when filling out the roster and that he's ready to move on and learn from some of the mistakes he's made over the last couple of years.
Both the Lakers and the Clippers are expected to be championship contenders.