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Report: Kawhi initiated recruitment efforts for Paul George, Kevin Durant
Kawhi Leonard is a man of few words but that’s perhaps because when he elects to speak, everyone takes notice.
Leonard is signing with the Los Angeles Clippers on a four-year max deal, and while so much of the conversation leading up to his decision was focused on other teams’ recruitment efforts, we all may have been smarter by looking inward.
The reigning Finals MVP initiated contact with Kevin Durant in an effort to bring the former Golden State Warriors star to Los Angeles with him, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Durant ended up signing with the Nets but he was pleasantly surprised that Leonard called him.
“Then Durant got a call from Kawhi Leonard, asking if he'd consider teaming up with him and signing with the LA Clippers. They'd be a great complement to each other, Leonard told Durant. He'd always admired him and had tremendous respect for him as a competitor,” Shelburne wrote.
“Durant was flattered and more than a little stunned, according to sources close to the situation. He didn't know Leonard that well, so getting a recruiting call like that made a real impression.”
Leonard’s other recruitment effort was more successful, as the Clippers traded for Paul George in a colossal deal, which in turn convinced him to sign with the team.
Throughout the week, Leonard wanted to end up on the Clippers with George. Leonard met with the team at head coach Doc Rivers’ house, with the goal in mind of securing another star, George, if possible.
Leonard texted George and convinced the star forward to ask for a trade out of Oklahoma City to join the Clippers. While Leonard took meetings with the Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers began to work with the Thunder on a trade involving George.
Eventually a deal was reached.
The Clippers are sending the Thunder four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-round pick and two pick swaps, league sources tell ESPN. Those picks go to OKC with Gallinari and SGA.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Shelburne wrote the following about Leonard’s plan to win over George.
Like Durant, George was flattered by Leonard's recruiting. The two had a fair amount in common. They'd grown up in the Los Angeles area at about the same time. George, 29, is from Palmdale, a dusty desert town about an hour and a half north of L.A. Leonard, 28, is from Riverside, a sprawling Inland Empire town about an hour and a half east of L.A. Both had been lightly recruited out of high school, found their footing as players at mid-major colleges (George at Fresno State, Leonard at San Diego State) and then quietly entered the NBA as mid-first-round picks
Still, Leonard's recruiting efforts caught George by surprise.
Said one source close to George, "For a quiet guy, he's a hell of a recruiter."
Perhaps Kawhi’s reputation for not speaking often was overstated. When it mattered most, he was the lead orchestrator in figuring out a trade to acquire George while dictating his own decision, and didn’t hesitate to reach out to a rival that he doesn’t know well personally. In any event, it is free agency after all, and Kawhi exercised his own autonomy better than any player we’ve seen in recent memory.
You can’t be mad at that, and we’re glad Kawhi got the last laugh, even if it comes at the Raptors’ expense.
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