When the news dropped on July 6 that two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was going to take his talents to the Los Angeles Clippers, it was accompanied by the team announcing that they also acquired the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Paul George for a large trade package that included two players and five first-round picks.
While Leonard and George’s desire to play on the same team initially came as a surprise, they revealed the idea of playing together was years in the making in an ESPN interview with Rachel Nichols.
George was selected with the 10th overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers would select Leonard the following year at the 2011 NBA Draft with the 15th overall pick, then trade him to the San Antonio Spurs that same day.
“I was a little nervous,” said George when recalling the Leonard selection. “Just because we play the same position, but immediately I was like, ‘I got to work on something because they’re bringing in reinforcements right away.’ But it would’ve been amazing to see what we could’ve done in Indiana and what we could’ve accomplished.”
For Leonard, the idea of playing with George came during his days with the Spurs.
“The idea probably started with me playing in San Antonio and him playing on the Pacers and then I was trying to get San Antonio to get him over with us,” said Leonard. “He ended up with the Thunder, who probably had a better package for him. That’s probably when the initial idea started when he wanted to get out of Indiana.”
George was dealt to the Thunder on July 6, 2017 and signed a four-year, $137 million contract with the team in July of 2018. In 2018-19, the 29-year-old recorded career-highs in points per game (28), rebounds per game (8.2), assists per game (4.1) and steals (2.2). He finished third in MVP voting but the Thunder were eliminated in the first round off the playoffs by the Portland Trail Blazers in five games.
The opportunity to play with Leonard, fresh off a NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors and his second Finals MVP, was too much to pass up, which led to his departure from the Thunder.
“We were all on the same page,” said George. “The initial plan was to give it another year, see what we could do. I did that. I played another year and we were just stagnant. The next thing was let’s go forward and go with other plans. Again it was mutual amongst everybody. It was just a win-win across the board when we looked at it and thought it was the best moment to pull the plug.”
For Leonard, he was very close to choosing to play with the Los Angeles Lakers or returning to the Raptors. But when the Clippers presented him with the idea with George, it was an “easy yes”.
"It’s probably going to be the first time I’m playing with an elite player at his level, on the same page as me, same talent,” Leonard said. “I’m excited to play. I can’t wait until training camp starts, getting into season mode, putting on the jersey, passing him the ball and just talking on the floor.”
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July 26, 2019 at 01:26AM
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