Watch after Leonard, George go to Clips
just became the NBA’s worst nightmare. The scariest part? They’re still not finished constructing this roster.
Kawhi Leonard just fixed basketball
It would have been a storybook ending had Leonard returned to the Raptors to protect his throne as King of the North. Doing so would have been an honorable decision. Toronto had the most lucrative offer — five years, $190 million — and a franchise could have called his own.
But by spurning the Lakers to team with George on the Clippers, Leonard made the NBA exponentially better, probably without even realizing it.
The Rockets still have James Harden, Chris Paul and offensive mastermind Mike D’Antoni. The Lakers still have two of the seven-or-so best players in the NBA. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are going to be scary in Denver for a long time. Damian Lillard’s Trail Blazers aren’t going anywhere. Neither are Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and possibly now D’Angelo Russell, who have formed the league’s unlikeliest trio headed out to San Francisco. The Jazz got Donovan Mitchell some much-needed back court help, forming a trio with Rudy Gobert and, now, Mike Conley.
On paper, rating the newlook Clippers any lower than these teams would be criminal. As good as they might be, the West is absolutely bananas. It’s anyone’s game.
How committed is OKC to Westbrook?
Instead of signing with the Lakers in his free agency last summer, George signed a below-max contract with the Thunder, and he highlighted Westbrook’s character as a driving factor behind the decision.
One season after making the decision, George abandoned Westbrook for a future with Kawhi. And now there are reports surfacing of discontent between the two Thunder stars. So much so, OKC signed off on trading a George-Westbrook future for Westbrook alone, and a haul of draft assets that might not turn into a single lottery pick. Yikes.
Westbrook is putting up inconceivable numbers. He averaged a triple-double for the third season in a row. But Westbrook’s shooting percentages were abysmal, the worst since his rookie season. At times it was hard to watch: A tripledouble machine in what appeared to be a season-long shooting slump.
Masai Ujiri did what was necessary
This is a bittersweet moment for Ujiri and the Raptors. Leonard brought Toronto to its first NBA championship and delivered on a promise he never actually made. The Raptors took a risk trading DeMar DeRozan for a one-year rental of a superstar player. The risk paid off. Toronto won it all.
But now, Leonard has left, and the Raptors traded an AllStar, a young center and a lottery pick for their troubles. Ujiri did what he had to do to achieve the impossible. If he sticks around, these Raptors now present a brand-new challenge.
The Raptors just lost their Finals MVP, but they were 17-5 in regular season games Leonard sat out due to load management. They can still build a bright future around Pascal Siakam, and possibly Fred VanVleet.
What are the Lakers going to do now?
They’ve already signed Danny Green and JaVale McGee, two champions that fill needs on the roster. This, unfortunately, is what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket. The Lakers waited for Leonard, and watched all the other marquee free agents sign their deals.
The best point guard available is Darren Collison, and James would have to recruit him out of retirement. Not the easiest sell in the world, it seems.
Of course, the Lakers still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the same team. They can fill the roster with more quality players available. The West is wide open. James has as good a chance at making the Finals as any team in the NBA.
But Los Angeles isn’t nearly the favorite to win it all as they were as favorites to land Leonard in free agency. James’ championship window is closing with respect to his age, and the loaded Western Conference isn’t doing him any favors. Davis is a picture-perfect start, but LeBron needs more help than that. Otherwise, it’s a second straight year missing the NBA Finals after an eightyear run out East.