The 2019 NBA free agency class has been hyped up for years now with the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and more all hitting the open market.
With Durant and Thompson both going down with significant injuries and Leonard leading the Toronto Raptors to their first championship in the 2019 NBA Finals, Leonard became the most sought-after free agent of the bunch.
Ever since Leonard demanded a trade from the San Antonio Spurs last summer, he made it clear that his preference was to return home to Los Angeles. He also said his preference was to be dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers but after he wound up with the Raptors and LeBron James signed with the Lakers, the tone changed a bit and it seemed like the Los Angeles Clippers were actually the favorites to land him this summer.
In the end, Leonard reportedly will sign with the Clippers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Free agent forward Kawhi Leonard has informed runners-up teams of his plans: He's signing with the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
In addition, Leonard is expected to sign a four-year, $142 million deal with the Clippers, according to Wojnarowski:
Sources: As expected, Kawhi Leonard: four-year, $142M maximum contract.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Leonard signing with the Clippers drastically changes the landscape of the NBA as the reigning Finals MVP will be moving back to the Western Conference and to Los Angeles, but not to the Lakers to join the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
In addition to Leonard, the Clippers also pulled off a massive trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire Paul George, so they will not only be adding one — but two All-NBA players this summer.
The Lakers put all their chips into the middle of the table in their pursuit of Leonard, passing on a lot of other solid free agents to wait out his decision. They now have around $32 million left in cap space to work with to fill out the rest of their roster.