When the news broke, the veterans among the Los Angeles Lakers brass perhaps let out a knowing smile. Jeanie Buss probably felt even better about that weekend soiree she had planned. Rob Pelinka folded his arms, laid back in his seat and lightly chuckled.
The NBA’s investigation into salary cap circumvention involving the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard finally reached a conclusion earlier this week, with the league finding several accounts of improper arrangements between Leonard and the Clippers.
But once upon a time, when Leonard was on the NBA mountaintop after leading the Toronto Raptors to the championship in 2019, he was an unrestricted free agent, reportedly narrowing his decision down to the Raptors, Clippers and Lakers. Leonard and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, had it all planned out. As we have come to learn now, that plan included demands so egregious that they ultimately became a centerpiece of arguably the most groundbreaking investigation in league history.
Fair to Say the Lakers Dodged a Bullet? Yes, Yes it is
Seven years later, Leonard may have been effectively hit with a slap on the wrist as he seems to be on his way back to Toronto, but the uncomfortable realities have come forth. The Lakers reportedly declined to honor the demands Leonard and Robertson made all those years ago; they are thanking themselves for that today. Especially now that Leonard, though still a hands down elite player, is being called one of the worst free agent signings ever.
“Kawhi Leonard is arguably one of the worst free agent signings in NBA history,” opined ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins. “Since he put on a Clipper uniform, it has been nothing but a disaster for the organization. … What have they gotten in return? Nothing. One divison title. And now all of a sudden, Steve Ballmer (and) Lawrence Frank (are) suspended and cost them an additional five first round picks.”
That certainly wasn’t how the Clippers envisioned things. Leonard (and Paul George) were supposed to be the driving forces of the NBA’s newest juggernaut, the team that would rule the league for five years. But neither stayed on the court enough.
So, What Were Those Demands Leonard Made?
A few months after Leonard signed with the Clippers as a free agent, The Athletic’s Sam Amick dropped a bombshell report detailing what Leonard and Robertson supposedly asked of the Lakers throughout Leonard’s free agency decision-making process.
“The stories about Robertson’s wish list made their way to the league office soon after Leonard made his decision, with concerned parties reporting that Leonard’s uncle had asked pursuing teams for much, much more than a max contract (Kawhi ultimately signed a three-year, $103 million deal with the Clippers). Sources say the league was told that Robertson asked team officials for part ownership of the team, a private plane that would be available at all times, a house and — last but certainly not least — a guaranteed amount of off-court endorsement money that they could expect if Leonard played for their team. All of those items, to be clear, would fall well outside the confines of the league’s collective bargaining agreement,” Amick reported.
Continued Amick: “A source with knowledge of the Kawhi-Lakers talks said Robertson made those requests repeatedly to owner Jeanie Buss over the course of three phone calls that spanned several days, and that she made it clear that such perks were illegal and would not be considered. There was even a question raised by Robertson about why Lakers legend Magic Johnson had been given a small piece of Lakers ownership so many years ago, with Buss explaining that the two situations couldn’t have been more different – even beyond the fact that one was legal and the other was not.”
It is hard to imagine the Lakers not being in the position the Clippers are in today if they had bowed to Leonard and Robertson’s demands.
The Clippers were docked five first round picks and will be without their owner and general manager for the foreseeable future, in what has culminated in the steepest team punishment in NBA history.
Good job, Jeanie, Rob and others involved at the time. Way to go. (And say no.)
Lakers Reject Called One of The ‘Worst Free Agent Signings in NBA History’