Immediately after signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, Kawhi Leonard was blessed with the news that Paul George would be joining him thanks to a trade. It was believed that Leonard was actively recruiting George which ultimately led to the Thunder star requesting a trade out of Oklahoma City. In a brand new interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Leonard denied those rumors and reassured people that it was the Clippers management staff that got the job done.
“S***, I guess I need a front-office position if that’s what happened. They’re saying I was the architect of the deal. I’ll say this: players talk, and when I talked to the Clippers, they had certain players they thought they could pair with me before I signed," Leonard explained. "His name was on the board, and I said I would love to play with him. They made the opportunity happen in probably two to three days later. I was close to signing with other teams, but once they told me that this deal was on the table, I jumped for it.”
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Leonard seems uncomfortable with the assumption that he was the man pulling the strings throughout this entire process. The two-time NBA champion recently denied doing the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors dirty, even going so far as to blame the media for their coverage.
With Leonard and George on the same team, the Clippers are certainly contenders for next year's NBA Championship.