Kawhi Leonard has come under fire over the last few weeks for how he handled free agency and how his Uncle Dennis was a part of the negotiations. On Monday, Stephen A. Smith claimed that Kawhi's uncle made a plethora of bizarre requests such as houses, planes, and sponsorship money. According to Smith, this led to the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors feeling slighted by the two-time NBA champion. In a recent interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Leonard denied any wrongdoing and said the media shouldn't have been so quick to judge.
“I didn’t lead anyone on really,” Leonard said. “I took my time in free agency as I should, making sure that I make the best decision for myself and my family. I feel like some of the media coverage over it made it feel that way. Whoever is telling those statements, you shouldn’t believe rumors. I don’t want to ever have that bad karma come back to me, having the Lakers miss out on players that they should’ve gotten, and vice versa with the Raptors."
Yesterday, Kawhi and Paul George were introduced to the Clippers media where both players expressed their excitement over playing with the Clippers. Heading into next season, the Clippers finally have a shot dethroning the Lakers as the marquee team in the city.