Kawhi, George to Clips
The Los Angeles Clippers made a huge decision.
That meant Kawhi Leonard could finally make his.
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The Clippers will be landing Leonard as a free agent after they acquire Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a massive trade for players and draft picks, a person familiar with the negotiations said.
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 yesterday because none of the moves have been finalized. And Leonard made his decision to sign with the Clippers after the team swung the deal to land George, the person 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 $142 million over four years, which is the deal he is expected to sign.
“New adventure in OKC,” Gallinari tweeted.
Leonard is entering his ninth NBA season, is a threetime 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.
And he just turned 28 last week — still very much in his prime.
So, too, is George. The 29year-old — who is owed roughly $105 million for the next three seasons — spent the last two years alongside Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. George averaged a career-best 28 points last season even while dealing with shoulder issues that required surgery, and the Thunder couldn’t get out of the first round in either of those seasons.
He was a finalist for both NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year last season, when he led the league with 2.21 steals per contest.
Lakers go Green
The Lakers didn’t wait long before starting to move on from their quest for Leonard. Danny Green announced he is signing a two-year deal with the Lakers, meaning he, too, is leaving Toronto.
“Kawhi has made his decision. Seems like the announcement is out,” Green said in a video he posted to his social media accounts. “It’s time for me to make my announcement ... I will be teaming up with new teammates in LA, the Los Angeles Lakers.”
The Lakers also agreed to a one-year deal with DeMarcus Cousins, and Rajon Rondo is returning to LA on a twoyear deal.
The 33-year-old Rondo will be reunited with Cousins and Anthony Davis after they were teammates in New Orleans two seasons ago.
Butler deal done
Jimmy Butler is a member of the Miami Heat.
The Heat got a four-team trade completed to acquire Butler from Philadelphia on a four-year, $142 million contract. Miami also gets Meyers Leonard from Portland and cash from the Clippers.
Hassan Whiteside leaves Miami for Portland, Philadelphia gets Josh Richardson from Miami and the Clippers sent Moe Harkless to Portland as well. The Clippers also got a first-round protected pick from Miami . . . .
Milwaukee sent Malcolm Brogdon to Indiana as part of a sign-and-trade that netted the former rookie of the year a four-year, $85 million deal.
The Bucks got three draft picks — one first-rounder and two seconds — from the Pacers as part of the deal.