Saturday 6 July 2019

Kawhi Leonard 'heading for LA

The Los Angeles Clippers will be landing Kawhi Leonard as a free agent after they acquire Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a massive trade for players and draft picks, according to a source close to the negotiations.

George will be traded for at least four first-round picks, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity early on Saturday because none of the moves have been finalised. 

And Leonard made his decision to sign with the Clippers after the team swung the deal to land George, the source said.

ESPN, which first reported the trade, also said the Thunder were getting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari from the Clippers.
 


Leonard going to the Clippers means that for the first time, a reigning NBA Finals MVP will be changing teams before the following season. Leonard was also being pursued by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors, the team he led to last season's NBA title.

The most the Clippers can offer Leonard is £113m ($142m) over four years, which is the deal he is expected to sign. Players can sign with new teams as early as noon Eastern on Saturday.

'New adventure in OKC,' Gallinari tweeted.


Leonard is entering his ninth NBA season, is a three-time All-Star, a two-time champion and one of only three players in league history to win the NBA Finals MVP award with multiple franchises.

Notoriously a man of few words, at least publicly, Leonard is generally considered to be the best two-way player in the NBA - dominant on the offensive end, airtight on the defensive end.

His game-winning, four-bounce-off-the-rim jumper to beat the buzzer in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia was perhaps the signature moment of this past season's playoffs.





MailOnline

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